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V    REPORT    ON    HOUSING   CONDITIONS 
IN    THE    ORANGES 


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By 
EDITH     ROCKWBLL    HALL 

Field  Secretary  of  the 
CIVIC     COMMITTEE    OF    THE -WOMAN'S    CLUB 
€ow!c  ORANGE,     N.    J. 


September,   1915 


A    REPORT    ON    HOUSING   CONDITIONS 
IN    THE    ORANGES 


By 
EDITH     ROCKWELL     HALL 

Field  Secretary  of  the 

CIVIC     COMMITTEE     OF     THE     WOMAN'S     CLUB 

ORANGE,     N.    J. 


Septerrl>cr.    1915 


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A    REPORT    ON    HOUSING    CONDITIONS 
IN    THE    ORANGES 


The  purpose  of  this  report  is  to  present  a  statement  of  living 
conditions  in  the  Oranges  as  they  are  met  by  the  great  mass  of  the 
working  population,  and  to  show  particularly  certain  existing  con- 
ditions of  housing  which,  wherever  they  are  found,  tend  to  hamper 
the  fullest  development  of  human  beings  as  healthy  and  useful 
citizens. 

Those  who  expect  a  revelation  of  horrible  conditions  will  be 
agreeably  disappointed,  for  horrible  conditions,  as  the  worst  are 
known,  do  not  show  themselves  anywhere  in  the  Oranges.  It  is 
the  very  fact  that  conditions  on  the  whole  are  good,  and  that  prob- 
lems hopeless  of  remedy  practically  do  not  exist  here,  that  should 
inspire  citizens  to  put  forth  every  effort  to  remedy  the  evils  that 
do  exist  before  they  become  permanently  fastened  upon  the  com- 
munity and  reach  the  stage  of  being  irremediable. 

The  card  used  for  this  housing  investigation  was  compiled  in 
consultation  with  the  Orange  Health  Officer,  and  was  used  by  his 
official  sanitary  inspectors  in  making  a  complete  inspection  of 
Orange  tenements  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1914.  The  find- 
ings of  that  inspection  are  published  in  the  Seventh  Annual  Report 
of  the  Orange  Health  Department  issued  last  spring,  and  the  official 
figures  are  made  use  of  in  this  report.  The  records  were  also  used 
as  the  basis  of  further  data  here  presented  in  regard  to  Orange 
tenements  in  the  districts  chosen  for  investigation. 

The  record  cards  of  Orange  tenements  are  filed  in  the  office 
of  the  Orange  Health  Department.  The  cards  used  in  the  inspec- 
tion of  all  single  and  two-family  houses  and  of  tenements  inspected 
in  East,  South  and  West  Orange,  are  filed  with  the  Civic  Com- 
mittee of  the  Woman's  Club,  to  whom  this  report  is  made  by  its 
Field  Secretary. 

Thanks  for  courtesies  in  the  way  of  information  and  helpful 
suggestion  in  planning  the  survey  are  due  many  of  the  officials  and 
social  workers  in  the  Oranges,  to  Mr.  \Y.  Lane  Shannon,  Secretary 
of  the  State  Housing  Association,  and  to  Captain  Charles  J.  Allen, 
Secretary  of  the  State  Hoard  of  Tenement   House  Supervision. 


393418 


Definitions  and  Explanations  of  Terms  Used. 

A  tenement  house  is  any  house  or  building  or  portion  thereof 
which  is  rented,  leased,  let  or  hired  out  to  be  occupied  or  is  occupied 
as  the  home  or  residence  of  three  families  or  more,  living  independ- 
ently of  each  other  and  doing  their  cooking  upon  the  premises,  or 
by  more  than  two  families  upon  any  floor,  so  living  and  cooking, 
but  having  a  common  right  in  the  halls,  stairways,  yards,  water 
closets  or  privies  or  some  of  them. 

A  New  Tenement  is  a  tenement  house  built  since,  and  presum- 
ably in  accordance  with,  the  requirements  of  the  State  Tenement 
House  Law  passed  in  1904. 

An  Old  Tenement  is  a  tenement  house  originally  built  before 
the  passage  of  the  State  Tenement  House  Law,  and  either  existing, 
against  the  law,  in  its  original  construction,  or  modified  according 
to  the  requirements  prescribed  for  old  tenements  in  the  State  Tene- 
ment House  Law. 

A  two-family  house  is  a  dwelling  arranged  for  occupancy  by 
two  and  only  two  families  living  independently  of  each  other. 

A  basement  is  a  story  partly,  but  not  more  than  one-half  below 
the  level  of  the  grade. 

A  cellar  is  a  story  more  than  one-half  below  the  level  of  the 
curb. 

Early  History  of  the  Oranges. 

When  the  New  Haven  Colony,  after  a  vigorous  protest  for  its 
independent  existence,  was  finally  united  with  that  of  Connecticut, 
a  body  of  the  more  uncompromising  church  members  of  Xew 
Haven,  jealous  for  the  prerogatives  of  church  membership  in  polit- 
ical affairs,  betook  themselves  to  lands  further  south,  and  in  1666 
founded  the  colony  of  Newark  on  lands  obtained  from  the  Berkeley 
and  Cartaret  grant. 

In  1678  the  original  western  boundary  of  the  new  colony  was 
extended  to  the  top  of  the  "Great  Watchung  Mountain"  by  pur- 
chase from  the  Indians  of  a  tract  of  land  covering  the  regions  now 
occupied  by  the  towns  of  Belleville,  Bloomfield,  Montclair  and  the 
Oranges. 

The  settlement  prospered  from  the  beginning.  The  mountain 
slopes  were  heavily  wooded  with  oak,  ash  and  hemlock,  the  meadow 
lands  were  easily  cleared  and  were  well  watered  by  numerous 
brooks  and  streams,  the  soil  was  light  and  easy  to  cultivate,  and  was 
well  adapted  to  farming,  gardening  and  fruit  growing.  The  land 
was  eagerly  taken  up  by  members  of  the  Newark  colony' receiving 
grants  in  40  or  50  acre  lots,  or  by  colonists  from  New  York  or  New 
England  securing  allotments  through  purchase  money.  ;\  score 
of  names  among  those  early  settlers  are  now  familiar  in  the 
Oranges,  often  as  owners  still  of  the  original  farmland  grants. 


Early  in  the  18th  century  a  permanent  local  church  was  estab- 
lished (now  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  corner  Main  and  Day 
streets),  and  became  the  center  of  a  church  community  known  for 
many  years  as  the  "Mountain  Society"  of  Newark.  By  the  end  of 
the  century  this  settlement  had  assumed  the  character  of  a  village. 
and  quite  generally  had  come  to  speak  of  itself  as  <  >range  or  (  >range 
Dale — a  name  probably  taken  in  honor  of  the  universal  Protestant 
homage  rendered  to  William  of  (  (range. 

In  1806  by  an  act  of  Legislature  the  old  Township  of  Xewark 
was  divided  and  an  independent  Orange  Township  formed.  Under 
this  government  the  settlement  developed  until  1860,  when  a  new 

charter  for  a  more  adequate  government  was  obtained.  Soon  after 
this,  owing  to  disagreement  over  taxation  and  governmental  policy, 
three  large  sections  of  outlying  territory  split  off  from  the  old  town 
lands  and  organized  themselves  into  the  separate  political  units 
now  known  as  South  Orange.  East  Orange  and  West  Orange. 
Orange  was  thus  shorn  of  most  of  her  territory  while  still  retaining 
the  bulk  of  the  population  and  practically  all  the  industrial  interests 
and  problems. 

Industries. 

From  earlv  times  the  business  of  the  community  was  brisk. 
Besides  raising  the  various  farm  products  to  supply  their  own  home 
needs,  the  settlers  carried  on  from  the  first  a  profitable  export  trade 
in  copper,  timber,  barrel  staves  and  tan  bark.  Tanneries  and  curry- 
ing shops  were  established,  and  as  an  outcome  of  this  leather  work, 
a  flourishing  boot  and  shoe  manufacture  developed.  A  pleasing 
picture  is  drawn  in  the  early  town  records,  of  the  work  shops,  built 
in  connection  with  the  houses  and  usually  painted  red.  where  the 
manufacture  was  carried  on  by  the  proprietor  with  the  aid  of 
apprentices  and  journeyman  artisans.  Hogsheads  of  shoes,  at  first 
of  rough  make,  were  yearly  shipped  to  New  York  and  distributed 
over  the  country  from  the  big  whole-ale  houses  in  Maiden  Lane. 
As  the  style  and  quality  of  the  product  improved,  a  thriving  trade 
was  established  directly  with  the  ^Yestern  and  Southern  states  in 
high  class  goods  as  well  as  in  the  rough  shoes  designed  for  the  use 
of  slaves.  This  shoe  trade  continued  to  be  the  leading  industry  of 
Orange  until  financial  depression  and  the  loss  of  the  southern  mar- 
ket during  the  Civil  War  brought  ruin  to  many  of  the  manufac- 
turers. The  business  was  never  wholly  revived  and  soon  after  the 
war  it  ceased  to  be  a  prominent  feature  of  Orange  life.  Its  place 
as  the  leading  industry  of  the  community  was  taken  by  hatting, 
which  in  a  small  way  had  been  begun  as  early  a-  1800.  Until  the 
middle  of  the  century,  hatting,  like  the  shoe  industry,  was  entirely 
handwork  carried  on   in   small   shops  often   built   adjacent   to   the 


dwelling  houses.  In  the  early  fifties  machinery  was  introduced, 
and  while  many  of  the  small  makers  were  thus  put  out  of  business, 
the  trade  as  a  whole  vastly  increased  from  that  time. 


Growth  of  the  Town. 

In  1834  Orange  was  described  as  a  "straggling  village  and  post 
town  extending  about  3  miles  along  the  turnpike  from  Newark  to 
Dover  (the  modern  Main  Street),  containing  4  churches,  2  taverns, 
10  stores,  2  sawmills  and  a  bark  mill  and  from  200  to  230  dwellings, 
many  of  them  very  neat  and  commodious."  A  few  years  later  it 
was  reported  still  rare  to  see  a  foreigner  or  a  negro,  but  a  new  ele- 
ment had  come  in  since  the  discovery  of  a  mineral  spring  on  the 
mountain  slope  and  the  advertisement  of  Orange  as  a  fashionable 
health  resort.  The  opening  of  the  railroad  in  1837  increased  the 
attractions  of  Orange  as  a  place  of  residence  for  New  York  business 
men,  and  the  subsequent  growth  of  the  shoe  and  hatting  industries 
induced  the  immigration  of  outside  labor.  About  1860  Dublin 
Street,  now  New  Street,  is  referred  to  as  an  Irish  settlement, 
"where  tenements  have  recently  been  built  to  suit  the  demand"— 
tenement  here  being  used  in  the  old  sense  of  a  rented  house.  On 
the  outskirts  of  the  town  handsome  residences  in  spacious  grounds 
were  built  year  by  year,  and  rows  of  smaller  houses,  each  set  in  its 
trim  garden  space,  multiplied  in  its  central  portion.  Following  the 
railroad  the  hatters  with  factory  and  homestead  made  "the  Valley" 
their  own. 

The  Heyday  and  Decline  of  Hatting. 

The  heyday  of  hatmaking  in  the  (  )ranges  was  the  year  1892- 
1893.  Records  of  that  year  show  21  firms  besides  many  "buckeye" 
shops,  where  hats  are  sized  for  the  regular  firms.  3,722  hands  were 
employed,  making  an  output  of  397,850  dozen  hats  in  the  year  with 
a  value  of  $4,849,940.  A  good  worker  very  commonly  earned  $35 
and  $40,  or  even  $50,  a  week,  and  hundreds  of  hatters  were  sub- 
stantial men  of  affairs  and  property  owners  within  the  community. 

After  1893  a  variety  of  causes  served  to  break  the  prosperity  of 
the  hatting  industry — chief  among  them  was  the  prolonged  strike 
in  the  winter  of  1908-09  during  which  the  bulk  of  trade  was  diverted 
to  other  centers.  It  has  never  since  then  been  recovered.  Several 
of  the  factories  have  closed  down  altogether,  many  are  running 
on  irregular  or  part  time,  and  the  lowered  wage  earned  by  the  lim- 
ited piece  work  has  turned  the  industry  more  and  more  into  the 
hands  of  new  foreign  labor. 

No  other  industry  has  yet  developed  on  a  large  enough  scale  to 
replace  hatting  as  a  source  of  prosperous  livelihood  for  the  com- 


munity.  The  Edison  works  were  moved  from  New  York  to  \\  est 
Orange  in  1887  and  the  firm  employs  some  4,000  hands,  but  their 
large  payroll  is  a  constantly  shifting  one  and  is  tilled  only  in  small 
part  by  resident  workers,  hundreds  of  them  coming  from  Newark 
and  neighboring  towns.  The  various  other  industries  are  largely 
seasonal  and  uncertain.  The  present  lack  of  steady  high  grade 
employment  in  the  Oranges  goes  far  to  explain  many  of  the  hous- 
ing and  social  problems  of  the  community. 


The  Four  Oranges. 

West  Orange.  The  Oranges  today  consist  of  four  distinct 
political  units.  West  Orange  covers  some  12  square  miles,  but 
consists  for  the  most  part  of  farm  lands  "over  the  mountain."  Two 
extensive  tracts,  Llewellyn  Park  and  Hutton  Park,  on  the  mountain 
side,  are  occupied  by  cultivated  estates  and  large  country  houses, 
most  of  them  belonging  to  New  York  business  men.  A  fringe  of 
the  Valley  with  one  or  two  small  factories  is  included  within  the 
town  limits  ;  there  is  a  small  retail  business  center,  once  a  part  of 
Orange,  at  the  end  of  Main  Street;  a  few  tenements  and  hoarding 
houses  and  single  and  two-family  houses  of  an  unpretentious  sort 
are  grouped  about  the  Edison  plant  at  the  upper  end  of  Valley 
Road ;  and  there  are  many  streets  and  winding  roads  already 
opened  up  upon  the  mountain  side,  either  built  or  available  for 
building  in  small  attractive  homes.  The  population  at  the  present 
time  is  14,000. 

South  Orange.  South  Orange,  covering  about  2  square  miles. 
with  a  population  of  7.000.  is  hardly  more  (or  less  i  than  a  delightful 
garden  suburb  of  New  York.  150  acres,  known  as  Montrose  Park, 
have  been  improved  and  restricted  to  the  more  luxurious  sort  of 
uncrowded  building,  and  in  1889  the  Meadow  Land  Society  bought 
up  another  tract  of  2-1  acres  to  control  its  uses.  Much  of  the  less 
pretentious  part  of  the  village  is  built  up  with  well  to  do  houses 
of  attractive  and  varied  style.  The  business  is  only  such  retail 
catering  as  the  daily  household  needs  of  the  residents  demand,  and 
so  far  the  community  has  been  proud  to  feel  itself  free  from  sordid 
"problems."  Such  immediate  housing  problems  as  exist  are  con- 
fined to  a  comparatively  small  area  on  either  side  of  the  railroad 
south  of  South  Orange  Avenue,  though  the  menace  of  apartment 
house  speculation  is  already  showing  itself  in  some  of  the  bettei 
sections. 

East  Orange.  When  East  <  'range  withdrew  from  (  Grange  and 
set  up  an  independent  government  she  took  four  square  miles 
of  rolling  meadow  country  stretching  the  length  ^i  Orange  and 
away   to  the   Newark  border.     The  old    streets   and    roads — Dodd 


Street  to  the  north,  Washington,  Harrison  and  Prospect  Streets, 
Arlington  and  Munn  Avenues  on  the  farthest  East — were  already 
built  with  comfortable  and  often  luxurious  homesteads  set  in  the 
midst  of  spacious  gardens  and  well  kept  lawns.     Many  of  these 
houses  are  still  the  landmarks  of  the  older  town  and  lend  what  dis- 
tinction   there    is    to   the    modern    city.     The    population    of    East 
Orange,  at  the  time  of  its  separation  in  1863  was  about  3,000,  chiefly 
well-to-do  or  wealthy  families  identified  with  the  early  growth  of 
the  community.     From  that  time  to  the  present  its  growth  in  new- 
comers has  been  rapid    and  steady,  until  its  newly  built  up  rows  of 
single  and  two-family  houses,  apartments  and  tenements  stretch  in 
more  or  less  compactly  built  areas   to  the   Newark  borders.     Its 
population  today  is  nearly  43.000,  largely  made  up  of  commuters 
to  New  York  and  Newark.     There  is  probably  no  suburb  of  a  large 
city  where  families  of  moderate  income  can  find  a  wider  choice  of 
comfortable  and   convenient   small   homes   with   air,   sunshine  and 
adequate  elbow  room.     The  growth  of  the  town,  however,  has  been 
so  rapid  and  its  natural  development  so  seemingly  prosperous  that 
certain  unforeseen  dangers  have  been  allowed  to  develop  into  con- 
ditions really  serious  for  the  permanent  prosperity  and  health  of  the 
city.     No  precaution  has  been  taken  to  reserve  sufficient  park  space 
for  present  enjoyment  or  for  future  need,  or  to  restrict  the  encroach- 
ment of  speculative  building  on  districts  of  high  value  as  hand- 
some residence  streets  demanding  space  and  privacy.     Much  of  the 
speculative  building,   while   doubtless   of  sanitary   excellence,   has 
little  architectural  charm  or  individuality  and  is  bound  to  depreciate 
surrounding  property  values.    Moreover,  in  a  community  where  the 
possibility  of  housing  its  people  in  individual  homes  is  nowhere 
nearly  exhausted,  it  is  short  sighted  to  allow  the  rapid  construction 
of  tenements,  which  can  only  be  a  menace  to  the  city's  future  social 
health.     East   Orange   at   present   has   369   congregate  houses.     A 
certain  number  of  these  on  the  better  streets  may  now  be  classed  as 
higher  grade  apartment  houses,  but  many  of  these  are  so  flimsily 
built  that  they  must  in  a  few  years  deteriorate  to  cheaper  and  less 
fastidious  use. 

Orange.  Orange  proper  lies  as  a  long  narrow  triangle  of  2 
square  miles  hemmed  in  on  its  three  sides  by  West,  East  and  South 
Orange.  Since  the  districts  that  broke  away  were  the  outlying 
sections  on  all  sides,  leaving  what  was  the  center  of  the  original 
town,  Orange  at  the  time  of  the  separation  was  already  built  well 
up  to  its  border  line,  and  in  its  later  development  has  been  able  to 
grow  only  more  compactly,  not  more  widely.  This  inability  to 
expand  has  created  serious  housing  problems,  has  fostered  the 
tendency  to  tenement  building,  and  has  made  difficult  a  policy  of 
reserving  park  spaces  or  of  restricting  given  areas.  The  decline  in 
prosperity  of  numbers  of  skilled  workmen  and  property  owners  has 


resulted  in  a  deterioration  of  many  houses  through  lack  of  proper 
maintenance. 

Orange  consists  of  several  distinct  sections.  First,  "the  Val- 
ley," already  spoken  of  as  a  manufacturing  area,  running  from  Main 
Street  to  the  South  (  )range  line,  west  of  the  railroad,  and  merging 
with  the  Valley  section  of  \\  est  (  )range.  Second,  the  large  section 
to  the  East  of  the  railroad,  extending  from  the  South  Orange  line 
north  to  Central  Avenue.  This  is  an  almost  unbroken  area  of 
well-to-do  or  luxurious  homes,  and  contains  the  beautiful  stretch 
of  Orange  Park.  North  of  Central  Avenue  and  contained  within  the 
curve  of  the  railroad  as  it  sweeps  to  the  east,  are,  Third,  the  small 
crowded  section  of  Essex  Avenue  and  Cone  Streets,  stretching  from 
the  railroad  to  Center  Street,  and  Fourth,  the  almost  equally 
crowded  section  between  Center  Street  and  (  )akwood  Avenue.  These 
could  conveniently  be  regarded  as  one  congested  district,  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  the  area  west  of  Center  Street  is  almost  exclu- 
sively Italian,  the  area  east  of  Center  Street  largely  negro.  Fifth, 
the  wedge  shaped  portion  north  of  Main  Street,  made  up  of  a 
variety  of  elements.  It  is  a  district  built  up  chiefly  with  small  two- 
family  or  single  houses,  some  of  the  latter  dating  back  to  early  days. 
It  contains  also  a  number  of  tenements,  many  of  them  in  the  older 
streets  with  shops  on  the  ground  floor.  It  is  broken  by  several 
attractive  residence  streets  such  as  White  Street  and  Park  Avenue, 
Cleveland,  High,  and  Ridge  Streets,  and  a  number  of  smaller  streets 
newly  cut.  The  population  is  largely  American  and  Irish,  with  a 
number  of  Italians,  Greeks  and  other  foreigners  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  Edison  factories,  and  a  scattering  of  negroes  throughout 
the  poorer  sections.  Dividing  this  northern  triangle  from  the 
southern  portion,  Main  Street,  along  its  length  through  Orange  and 
continuing  through  East  Orange,  is  closely  built  up  with  shops  and 
tenements,  except  wdiere  a  few  modern  office  buildings  have  been 
erected  or  the  older  churches  and  residences  still  stand.  It  is 
rapidly  being  given  over  entirely  to  business  uses. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  survey  the  districts  selected  for  inspec- 
tion were:  A.  The  Valley  district  west  of  the  railroad  from  Main 
Street  to  the  South  Orange  line,  including  both  the  Orange  and  the 
West  Orange  portions.  B.  The  section  of  Orange  east  and  south 
of  the  railroad,  west  of  Center  Street  and  north  of  Central  Avenue. 
C.  The  section  of  Orange  from  Center  Street  east  to  Oakwood 
Avenue  and  stretching  from  the  railroad  to  Central  Avenue.  Be- 
sides these  three  districts  may  be  grouped  under  D,  scattered  small 
sections  or  single  houses  here  and  there  in  the  four  Oranges,  in- 
spected for  a  special  purpose  or  because  their  general  appearance 
invited  investigation.  Among  these  sections  are  parts  of  the  dis- 
tricts of  Orange  and  West  Orange  surrounding  the  Edison  works; 
Church  Street  and  the  surrounding  region  in  South  Orange  :  the 


newly  built  up  Elmwood  section  of  East  Orange,  rapidly  develop- 
ing as  an  Italian  district;  the  Jones  and  Academy  Street  section, 
largely  negro,  also  in  East  Orange. 

No  separate  summaries  are  made  for  these  scattered  sections, 
because  they  merely  repeat  on  a  small  scale  conditions  reported  in 
the  larger  districts.  A,  B,  and  C.  Mention  is  made  of  some  of  their 
more  salient  characteristics.  The  three  districts  more  carefully 
studied,  while  chiefly  in  Orange,  house  most  of  the  workers  of  the 
four  communities,  and  represent  problems  in  which  all  the  Oranges 
are  concerned  socially,  if  not  officially. 


District  A. 

("The  Valley"  west  of  the  railroad  from  Main  Street  to  the  South 

Orange  line). 

The  area  covered  is  a  long  narrow  strip  about  20  blocks  in 
length  by  an  average  of  4  in  width.  It  contains  a  number  of  closely 
built  streets  in  its  lower  end,  a  few  with  scattered  houses,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  open  unimproved  spaces.  The  houses  are 
chiefly  of  wood,  many  of  them  comfortable  and  homelike  in  appear- 
ance and  with  small  garden  spaces  around  them.  A  number  even 
of  those  of  the  older  type  are  still  prosperously  maintained,  though 
many  show  the  lack  of  adequate  upkeep.  Not  a  few  of  the  sub- 
stantial older  houses  have  been  remodeled  into  two-family  flats. 
Here  and  there  are  sections  of  jumbled  nondescript  small  houses 
chiefly  occupied  by  foreigners.  The  region  contains  about  a  dozen 
factories  and  some  40  tenements,  mostly  small  ones  of  the  old  tene- 
ment type. 

It  was  thought  that  a  general  survey  of  the  whole  district 
would  be  more  valuable  than  an  intensive  study  of  any  one  portion. 
One  or  two  groups  of  houses  of  obviously  superior  type  were 
omitted  in  the  inspection,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  revisit 
houses  where  admittance  was  not  gained  on  the  first  call,  but  it  is 
believed  that  the  results  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  average  conditions 
of  living  in  this  large  section. 

The  single  and  two-family  houses  inspected  in  this  district 
were  as  follows : 

Single 

Orange     114 

West  Orange  37 

"Til  157  308 

10 


Two-family 

Total 

108 

_'J_' 

49 

86 

Since  the  streets  and  houses  along  the  border  line  merge  so 
that  the  district  is  entirely  homogenous,  and  since  conditions  proved 
to  be  practically  the  same  on  the  two  sides  of  the  boundary,  no  dis- 
tinction has  been  made  between  Orange  and  West  Orange  in  pre- 
senting  the  data  compiled. 

Of  the  single  houses  63  were  owned  by  their  occupants,  88 
were  rented.  Of  two-family  houses,  one  floor  was  occupied  by  the 
owner  in  53  cases;  104  had  both  Hats  rented.  The  houses  were 
found  to  range  in  size  from  2  to  10  rooms  per  family  in  the  follow- 
ing groups.  The  size  of  the  families  occupying,  and  the  average 
price  paid  per  room  is  also  indicated  in  the  table. 

X umber  of  rooms  per  family  and  average  price  per  room  in  308  single  and 
two-family  houses  in   District  A. 

Number  of  rooms  occupied  by  a  family. 
1  23456789        10 

No.      single      houses 

each  size  1  4         2       22       49       42       16         7         6         2 

No.    apts.    each    size 

in  two-fam.  houses.        0         6        97      121        41        20        10  2  1  0 

Largest  no.  in  fam. 

occupying    1  5  8        10        13        11        10        10        10        12 

Average  no.  in  fam. 

occupying    1       3.3       3.7       4.8       5.1       5.6       6.8       6.7       6.9  9 

Average      rent      per 

room  in  each  size $2.87  $2.61  $2.15  $2.41  $2.12  $2.00  $2.19  $2.15  $2.00 


lhe  table  shows  that  the  largest  number  of  single  houses  had 
five  rooms;  the  largest  number  of  two-family  houses  were  of  four 
room  apartments.  The  apparent  hit  or  miss  relation  of  the  price 
per  room  to  the  number  of  rooms  is  probably  due  to  the  varictv 
in  the  grade  of  houses  studied,  and  to  the  small  number  from  which 
the  average  is  made  for  the  smallest  and  largest. 

In  estimating  the  average  price  per  room  those  houses  and 
apartments  were  omitted  where  the  rent  included  a  store.  These 
ranged  from  $8  for  one  room,  used  as  a  tailor  shop  and  living  quar- 
ters for  a  single  man,  to  $30  paid  in  two  instances,  for  4  rooms. 
one  including  a  bakery  and  one  a  saloon. 

In  both  single  and  two-family  houses  running  water  was  found 
almost  invariably  at  the  kitchen  sink,  occasionally  in  other  parts  of 
the  house  also.  But  several  houses  were  found  having  no  water 
supply.  ? 

ll 


Location  of  water  supply  in  308  single  and  two-family  houses  in  District  A. 

Single  Two-family                               Total 

Kitchen  sink    142  157(2)                                    299 

Tap  in  basement 3  3 

Tap  in  adjoining  store..       2  2 

No  water  supply 4  4 

Total   151  157  308 

Additional  taps: 

Basement    1  1 

Laundry   tubs    3  3 

Upstairs  tap 14  14 

Bath  tub   16  19                                          35 

In  the  case  of  the  four  houses  without  water,  one  is  supplied 
from  a  neighboring  house,  three  are  on  a  private  unsewered  street 
and  pump  from  a  well. 

The  sink  plumbing  was  in  all  cases  found  to  be  open,  the  repair 
on  the  whole  good.  In  8  instances  the  wooden  rim  and  backboard 
were  worn  and  water  soaked.  One  outlet  was  stopped  at  the  time 
of  inspection.  Two  leaks  were  noticed — one  between  walls  and  one 
in  the  cellar. 

The  following  table  shows  the  location  of  361  toilets  in  the 
single  and  two-family  houses  inspected.  It  will  be  noticed  that  91 
are  used  by  more  than  one  family,  that  46  have  no  light  or  ventila- 
tion to  the  outside  air,  and  that  2  houses  are  entirely  without  toilet 
accommodations. 


Location  of  361  toilets  in  single  and  two-family  houses  in  District  A. 


Singl 

Bathroom    16 

Cellar  or  basement 49 

Off  hall    7 

Off  kitchen     15 

Off  living  room    2 

Off  bedroom    0 

Back  porch  or  wall  of  house.  .  .    39 

Yard  water  closet    12 

Off  adjoining  store   0 

Off  adjoining   saloon    1 

Privy  in  yard    4 

Total     145 

None  on  premises 2 


No.  used  by  No.  having 
more  than  no  window 
one  family     to  outside 


Two-family 

air 

19 

2 

0 

84 

51 

22 

25 

7 

4 

24 

0 

7 

5 

1 

0 

1 

0 

0 

36 

17 

10 

20 

13 

3 

2 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

216 


91 


46 


12 


Fixing-  the  standard  of  repair  and  care  at  the  lowest  require- 
ments of  health  and  decency,  the  condition  of  the  36]  toilets  is  thus 
recorded  : 

Gond  Fair  Bad  (No  record) 

Repair    223  72  29  37 

Care    226  66  32  37 

]n  only  two  cases  was  the  plumbing  enclosed.  One  of  these 
was  protected  from  freezing  by  the  simple  device  of  filling  in  the 
space  between  the  plumbing  and  the  outside  boxing  with  sawdust. 
This  sawdust  filling  was  soaked  and  foul,  though  the  closet  ap- 
peared to  have  good  care. 

A  few  of  those  which,  for  repair  and  care  are  classed  as  Good 
would  not  only  satisfy  the  minimum  requirements  of  health  and 
decency,  but  would  meet  the  most  fastidious  standards.  The 
majority,  however,  even  of  those  marked  Good,  by  no  means  reaches 
a  satisfactory  ideal,  either  of  condition  or  care.  A  few  were  tem- 
porarily out  of  order  in  the  working  of  the  flush,  but  the  fault  of 
most  of  those  whose  repair  was  criticised  was  that  of  a  worn  old 
rusty  bowl  or  a  broken  and  rotting  seat.  The  standard  of  care 
given  to  some  of  the  worst  may  be  judged  by  the  naive  excuse  of 
one  woman — "it  was  that  way  when  I  come  here" ! 

A  variety  of  nationalities  is  represented  in  this  district.  The 
number  of  adults,  children  (under  16  years),  and  lodgers  in  each  are 
shown  below. 

Nationality  of  the  occupants  of  308  single  and  two-family  houses  in 

District  A. 

Adults  Children             Lodgers  Total 

English  speaking  races..  .  433  352  17  802 

German    115  76  2  193 

Norwegian    3  2  0  5 

Dutch    4  6  0  10 

Polish    71  69  6  146 

Russian    24  18  1  43 

Bohemian    14  7  0  21 

Austrian     12  24  0  36 

French    33  2  1  6 

Italian     421  407  13  841 

Greek     5  3  0 

Jew    12  14  1  27 

Negro    17  7  0  24 

Total    1124  987  41  2152 

The  cards  show  also  an  unprejudiced  variety  of  occupations. 
By  far  the  largest  number  in  any  one  group  are  the  hatters,  of 
whom  in  the  houses  visited  there  were  90  out  of  a  total  of  220  men 
and  women  whose  occupations  were  recorded.     18  reported  "work 

13 


at  Edison's"  and  some  5  or  6  others  who  are  registered  simply  as 
machinists  and  electricians  may  also  be  employed  there.  Among 
the  107  remaining  are  clerks,  insurance  agents,  and  a  bookkeeper ; 
plumbers,  painters,  carpenters,  paper  hangers,  masons ;  grocers, 
butchers,  bakers  ;  ice  men,  milk  men,  teamsters,  coal  heavers,  beer 
bottlers,  cobblers,  blacksmiths,  janitors,  gardeners,  saloon  keepers, 
barbers,  day  laborers,  laundresses,  cleaning  women,  railroad  gate- 
men,  a  street  car  conductor,  a  mail  carrier,  a  tailor,  a  quarry  worker, 
a  ragman,  a  shoeshine,  and  a  chauffeur.* 

Of  the  weekly  income  as  reported  for  144  families,  the  highest 
was  $40,  the  lowest  $4  with  an  average  of  $12.65.  It  is  doubtful, 
however,  whether  this  can  be  taken  as  a  reliable  estimate  of  the 
average  resources  of  these  families.  The  information  given  was 
in  many  cases  vague  or  inaccurate.  Oftentimes  there  was  a  hesi- 
tancy to  confess  lessened  earnings  and  many  such  answers  are 
recorded  as:  "My  man  earns  $15 — but  not  now,"  or  "$18  when  busi- 
ness is  good."  On  the  other  hand  some,  especially  the  Italians, 
are  prone  to  belittle  their  resources,  and  report  only  one  source  of 
income  when  there  are  known  to  be  several.  An  apparently  strug- 
gling Italian  shoemaker  or  shopkeeper  is  often  found  to  be  the 
owner  of  several  rented  houses.  So  unsatisfactory  was  the  attempt 
to  gather  accurate  information  as  to  income  that  no  attempt  to  sum- 
marize results  has  been  made  for  the  other  districts. 

Besides  its  varied  assortment  of  individual  and  two-family 
houses  the  Valley  contains  34  of  the  total  245  tenement  houses,  26 
of  these  are  three-  and  four-family  houses,  1  is  for  5  families,  5  for 
6  families,  and  2  for  8  families.  Ten  only  are  new  tenements,  the 
remaining  24  are  of  old  style  construction,  remodeled  as  may  be  to 
meet  the  modern  requirements. 

The  population  of  these  34  houses  is  distributed  by  nationality 
as  follows : 

English   speaking 

races  Italian         Negro      German  Jews         Total 

Adults    116  126  12  17  24  295 

Children     ........      75  159  2  7  29  272 

Lodgers    2  5  0  0  1  8 

Total  193  290  14  24  54  575 

These  575  individuals  constitute  122  families  with  an  average 
of  4.7  persons  to  a  family.  That  this  reasonable  average  does  not 
preclude  a  good  deal  of  unhealthy  crowding,  the  following  schedule 
shows : 


*It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  matter  of  occupation  was  not  made  part  of  the  record  card 
and  that  the  information  was  gathered  merely  as  an  afterthought  and  covers  only  a  small 
proportion  of  the  householders. 

14 


Distribution  of  122  families  in  34  tenement  houses  of  District  A  by  number 
of  rooms  occupied  in   relation  to  size  of  family. 

Total  no. 
Xo.  of  rooms  Number  of  individuals  in  family.  of  apt-. 

inapt.       1         2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10       occupied 

2  3  2  1 

3  13         7        3        3        6         3         13  32 

4  11168964122  50 

5  4         5         3         5         5         4         3         11  31 

6  1  1 

7  11  2 


Total  no. 

of  families       2       22       18       17       17       19       13         5         6         3  122 

While  the  largest  showing  of  any  one  grouping  is  the  com- 
fortable arrangement  of  2  people  to  4  rooms,  which  occurs  11  times, 
there  are  at  the  other  extreme  6  cases  of  6  in  3  rooms  :  5  cases  of  7 
in  3  rooms ;  3  cases  of  9  in  3  rooms ;  2  cases  of  9  in  4  rooms ;  and  2 
cases  of  10  in  4  rooms. 

The  water  supply  for  these  122  families  was  found  at  the 
kitchen  sink  in  all  but  3  apartments,  for  which  water  was  to  be 
had  only  in  the  outside  hallway.  The  plumbing  was  open  in  every 
case  but  3 — 2  kitchen  sinks  and  1  sink  in  the  hall  were  enclosed 
at  the  time  of  inspection  but  have  since  been  opened  up.  Only  in 
3  or  4  cases  are  minor  deficiencies  of  repair  recorded. 

The  toilets  showed  the  usual  variety  in  location:  5  were  off 
bedrooms ;  47  were  off  the  kitchen  ;  12  off  the  hall :  24  on  the  back 
porch  or  wall  of  house;  13  in  the  cellar;  and  12  in  the  yard.  The 
location  of  7  was  not  noted. 

In  all  the  new  law  houses  a  separate  toilet  within  the  apart- 
ment was  provided  for  each  family  according  to  law.  27  of  those 
in  the  old  law  tenements  were  used  by  2  families.  1  cellar  closet 
served  for  3  families  at  the  time  of  inspection,  but  the  needed  addi- 
tional closet  has  been  installed  since  notification  by  the  health 
authorities. 

Only  1  of  the  34  houses  was  without  either  windows  on  all 
floors  of  the  public  hallway,  or  a  skylight  over  the  stair  well.  In 
the  3-family  house  lacking  adequate  air  and  light  in  the  public  hall, 
there  was  a  window  on  the  second  floor  only. 

14  houses  were  without  either  gas  or  electricity  for  lighting  the 
public  hallway  at  night:  2  were  properly  provided  with  lights  on 
alternate  floors  only. 

11  are  recorded  as  being  without  adequate  fire  escapes. 

16  dark  rooms  were  found  to  exist,  all  in  the  old  law  houses. 

In  only  1  house  in  this  district  was  there  a  resident  janitor. 
The  owners  themselves  lived  in  S;  25  were  without  any  resident 
caretaker. 

♦Reading  down  and  across  we  find  2  people  in  3  rooms  3  times:  5  people  in  4  rooms  9  times; 
7  people  in  5  rooms  4  times,  etc. 

15 


District  B. 

(South  and  east  of  the  railroad  to  Central  Avenue  and  Centre  St.) 

This  district  is  some  5  blocks  long  by  4  wide,  and  is  a  hodge- 
podge of  large  and  small  brick  or  frame  tenements,  tumble  down 
frame  shacks,  trim  new  frame  or  cement  houses,  or  neat  looking  re- 
modeled stucco  fronts  that  may  or  may  not  hide  a  ramshackle  foun- 
dation. The  streets  are  comparatively  far  apart,  the  interior  of  some 
of  the  blocks  being  filled  with  rear  houses,  stables,  chicken  coops  and 
other  out  buildings,  garden  patches  and  all  the  improvised  comforts 
and  conveniences  that  go  with  the  more  primitive  Italian  living. 
The  houses  are  built  for  the  most  part  directly  on  the  street,  but 
with  no  regular  front  line  or  lot  spacing.  There  is  little  fencing 
or  distinct  property  boundary  lines,  few  trees  or  grass  plots,  and 
little  attempt  at  ornamental  gardening.  A  few  notable  exceptions 
may  be  made  of  2  or  3  groups  of  small  houses  delightfully  set  in 
the  midst  of  riotous  summer  bloom.  Odds  and  ends  of  vacant  space 
have  been  utilized  as  vegetable  gardens,  and  arbors  for  outdoor 
work  and  eating  have  been  constructed  here  and  there  as  space  was 
available.  A  certain  charm  of  outdoor  ease  and  freedom  replaces  in 
summer  the  desolation  and  disorder  of  the  winter  cheerlessness. 
The  streets  contain  man)-  small  shops  with  (in  summer)  tables  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  exposed  for  sale,  and  many  crates  of  live  chick- 
ens decorate  the  curb. 

In  this  district  169  single  and  two-family  houses  were  inspected. 
Of  the  62  single  houses,  26  were  lived  in  by  their  owners ;  36  were 
rented.  Of  the  107  two-family  houses,  one  floor  was  occupied  by 
the  owner  in  41  cases ;  66  had  both  flats  rented. 

The  population  of  the  district  is  so  largely  Italian  that  other 
elements  are  almost  overlooked. 

Nationality  of  the  occupants  of  169  single  and  two-family  houses  in 

District  B. 

German, 

Eng.  speak-     Swedish, 
Italians  ing        Hungarian   Hebrew     Negro  Total 

Adults     415  101  27  6  42  591 

Children 

(under    16)....    549  106  14  5  29  703 

Lodgers    41  3  0  0  0  44 

Total     1005  210  41  11  71  1338 

The  houses  fall  into  the  following  size-groups: 

16 


Number  of  rooms  per  family  and  average  price  per  room  in  K>9  single  and 
two-family  houses  in  District  B. 

Number  of  rooms  occupied  by  a  family. 
1234  5  6789 

No.  single  houses  each 
size    .' 1  3  9  16  11  1-!  5     2  1 

Xo.    apts.    each    size    in 

two-family     houses..   0  IS  88  64  16  8  4      0  0 

Largest  no.  in  families 

occupying     2  7  10  13  10  10  11      7  5 

Average  no.  in  families 

occupying     2         3.3         4.7         5-8         5.5         5.3  6  5.5  5 

Average  rent  per  room   .      $2.77     $2.59     $2.55     $2.20     $2.24     $1.95     ..      $1.55 


Comparing  this  table  with  the  corresponding  tabic  in  District 
A,  it  is  seen  that  while  the  greatest  number  of  families  in  the  Valley 
live  in  4  rooms,  the  greatest  number  here  live  in  3,  but  that  the 
average  size  of  the  family  using  3  rooms  in  District  B  is  practically 
that  of  the  4  room  family  in  District  A — in  other  words,  in  compar- 
ing the  apartments  most  in  demand  in  the  two  districts,  the  figures 
show  an  average  of  one  less  room  per  family  in  District  B. 

The  room  rents,  while  varying  somewhat  from  those  of  District 
A  in  the  several  groups,  show  a  general  average  of  $2.26  per  room 
to  match  an  average  of  $2.27  in  District  A. 

The  greater  number  of  both  single  and  two-family  houses  were 
found,  as  in  District  A.  to  lie  furnished  with  water  at  a  kitchen  sink. 
The  sink  was  in  all  cases  open  plumbing  and  the  repair  satisfactory 
except  for  a  few  temporary  disorders.  '2  houses  had  taps  in  the 
kitchen  without  sinks  ;  2  had  taps  only  in  the  basement;  1  had  a 
basement  sink  serving  for  2  families;  in  2  families  the  tap  was  in 
a  dark  closet  with  no  sink.  1'.'  houses  had  additional  taps — 4  in  the 
basement  :  •'!  upstairs;  14  in  bath  tubs. 

.">  single  and  11  two-family  houses  were  found  to  have  no  water 
supply  whatever  indoors.  Of  these,  3  single  houses  had  individual 
taps  in  the  yard;  1  two-family  house  had  its  own  tap  outside;  3  two- 
family  houses  depended  on  a  single  yard  pump.  In  1  group  1  tap 
served  2  two  two-family  houses:  in  another  group  1  tap  served  2 
single  and  5  two-family  houses  sheltering  a  population  of  48  per- 
sons. 

ddie  number  of  toilets  inspected,  and  their  location,  is  shown  in 
the  following  table: 

17 


Location  of  199  toilets  inspected  in  single  and  two-family  houses  in 

District    B. 

Used  by  Having  no 

more  than  window  to 

Single                Two-family              one  family  outside  air 

Bathroom    7                              12                                0  0 

Off  kitchen    11                              21                                2  0 

Off  hall    6                           20                             3  0 

Off  bedroom    1                               0                              0  0 

Cellar  or  basement.    11                              29                              24  6 

Back  wall   or  porch   10                            22                              7  2 

Yard  water  closet  . .    14                            33                            24  5 

In  adjoining  store..      2                                0                               0  1 

62  137  60  14 

None  on  premises..      2  0 

The  gratifying  fact  should  be  noted  that  no  privies  were  found 
in  this  congested  district. 

Of  the  60  toilets  used  by  more  than  one  family,  the  greater 
number  are  intended  for  the  use  of  but  two  families,  usually  the 
tenants  of  a  two-family  house.  In  2  cases  rear  houses  were  depend- 
ent on  the  toilets  of  the  corresponding  front  house,  resulting  in  the 
use  of  one  toilet  by  3  families  in  one  instance,  and  of  2  toilets  by  5 
families  in  another.  On  1  property  4  yard  toilets  are  provided  to 
serve  2  single  and  5  two-family  houses.  The  tenants  report  that 
there  has  been  no  water  connection  in  these  toilets  for  over  2  years ; 
the  only  means  of  flushing  at  present  is  by  pouring  water  from  a 
near-by  tap — the  same  tap  mentioned  as  being  the  one  source  of 
water  supply  for  12  families.  The  difficulty  of  decent  living  under 
such  conditions  does  not  need  to  be  dwelt  upon. 

The  technical  repair  of  these  toilets  was  on  the  whole  good. 
Aside  from  the  4  yard  toilets  mentioned  above,  only  2  were  found 
with  the  flush  out  of  commission,  and  those  were  reported  as  being 
only  temporarily  disabled.  One  was  noticed  where  the  normal  flush 
was  decidedly  insufficient,  1  old  and  worn  and  generally  bad,  sev- 
eral with  old,  split  and  broken  seats,  1  leaking,  and  many  with  rusty, 
worn  old  iron  bowls.  The  care  was  on  the  whole  surprisingly  good, 
though  6  are  recorded  as  only  fairly  clean,  and  9  as  filthy. 

The  tenement  houses  included  in  District  B  number  66,  twice 
as  many  as  in  District  A,  although  the  area  covered  is  not  more 
than  a  third  as  large.  Many  of  the  houses  are  of  a  larger  type  than 
any  of  those  in  the  Valley,  and  fortunately  a  larger  proportion  of 
them,  since  they  exist  at  all,  are  built  according  to  the  requirements 
of  the  new  Tenement  House  Law.  and  are  of  brick  rather  than  of 
frame  construction.  Three  of  the  older  houses  are  among  the  num- 
ber of  dwellings  in  this  district  that  are  built  at  the  rear  of  the  lot 
and  have  no  direct  outlook  on  the  street. 

is 


Location   and  construction   of  tenement   houses   in   District    B. 

Location  on  lot  Frame  I '.rick  Total 

Old    Tenement— Front 35  26  9  35 

Rear    3                   1  2  3 

New  Tenement— Front 28                   5  23  28 

Rear    0                  0  0  0 

Totol     32  34  66 

The  sizes  range  from  •'!  to  16  families  per  house.  16  of  the 
larger  houses  are  built  with  part  or  all  of  the  ground  flour  arranged 
for  stores.     The  size  grouping  is  shown  below : 

Xo.  families  per  house. 
3  4       5&6      7—12    12—16      Total 

Number  of  houses  each  size. .. .       24  10  18  7  7  66 

These  66  buildings  contain  355  separate  apartments.  22,  how- 
ever, were  vacant  at  the  time  of  inspection.  The  remaining  333 
apartment  housed  1,718  individuals,  Italians  in  even  greater  pro- 
portion than  in  the  single  and  two-family  houses. 

Nationalities  of  the  population  of  66  tenement  houses  in  Dist.  E. 

English  speak- 

Italian        ing  whites     German  Negro  Total 

Adults    637                 50                  24  33  744 

Children     764                  30                    7  22  823 

Lodgers    144                   2                    2  3  151 

Total    1545  82  33  58  1718 

This  gives  5.2  as  the  average  number  per  family  as  compared 
with  4.7  in  the  Valley  tenements,  although  the  greater  number  of 
families  live  in  3  rooms  instead  of  4.  (Approximately  the  same 
relation  of  numbers  to  space  in  the  two  districts  was  noticed  in  the 
-ingle  and  two-family  houses.) 

Distribution  of  tenement  house  families  in  District  V>  by  number  or"  rooms 
occupied  in  relation  to  size  of  family. 

No.  rooms  Number  of  individuals  in  family  Total  no. 

inapt.         1         2         3         4         5         6         7         8         9       10       11        apts. 


1  1  1 

2  4      21  7      10        5  1  48 

3  2   20  18   21   31   25  16   17    6    2    1  159 

4  1    5  10   17   15   20  10   13   13    6    3  113 

5  2  3  117 

6  13  1  5 

Total  no. 

families  7      47  36      48       51       50  29      31       21         9        4            333 

19 


The  case  of  8  persons  in  2  rooms  will  be  noticed,  and  the  num- 
ber of  cases  where  8,  9,  10  and  11  persons  occupy  3  and  4  rooms. 

All  of  these  apartments  were  supplied  with  water  at  the  kitchen 
sink  except  in  the  case  of  14  families.  In  two  three-family  houses 
there  was  a  sink  in  the  hall  on  each  floor ;  in  3  other  houses  a  hall 
sink  served  2  families  on  the  floor ;  in  1  three-family  house,  water 
was  supplied  only  on  the  second  floor.  A  sink  has  since  been  in- 
stalled, however,  on  the  third  floor  in  response  to  a  notice  from  the 
authorities,  and  4  sinks  found  enclosed  have  had  the  woodwork 
removed. 

The  following  table  shows  that  out  of  306  tenement  toilets  in 
this  district,  87  were  planned  for  the  use  of  more  than  1  family. 
Most  of  these  are  intended  to  be  used  by  not  more  than  2  families, 
but  in  several  instances  this  legal  limit  is  overstepped.  One  served 
for  3  families  in  one  instance ;  2  served  for  5  in  4  instances ;  2  served 
for  7  in  one  instance ;  4  served  for  9  in  one  instance.  These  cases 
were  all  outside  toilets,  where  at  best,  conditions  of  decency  and 
privacy  are  difficult  to  maintain.  It  is  an  encouraging  sign  that  at 
least  there  is  law  and  system  if  not  individual  family  privacy  inside, 
and  that  most  of  the  toilets  are  found  within  the  apartment. 

Location  of  306  toilets  in  66  tenement  houses  in  District  B. 

Intended  for  the  use  of 
more  than  1  family 

Off    kitchen 176  1 

Off   bedroom 3  ■ — 

Off  public  hallway 31  26 

Cellar  or  basement 4 

Back  wall  of  house 7  3 

Rear  or  front  porch 47  25 

Yard  water  closet 38  32 

Total     306  87 

Three  of  the  toilets  were  found  to  have  no  ventilation  to  the 
outside  air,  3  were  in  bad  general  repair  and  2  had  no  flush. 

One  dark  room  was  discovered — a  kitchen  on  the  top  floor  of  a 
three-family  house.  This  is  a  gratifying  record  compared  with  the 
number  found  in  the  Valley  tenements. 

Four  houses,  all  of  them  New  Law  tenements,  were  found  to 
have  resident  janitors  ;  the  owners  lived  in  35  houses  ;  23  were  with- 
out any  resident  caretakers ;  the  owner  of  1  rear  house  lived  in  the 
front  house  and  took  charge  of  both.  No  record  of  this  particular 
is  made  in  the  case  of  the  remaining  3. 

Provision  for  lighting  the  halls  at  night  is  fairly  well  met.  Gas 
or  electricity  in  all  public  hallways  is  provided  in  the  majority  of 
the  houses.  In  12  houses  fixtures  were  found  only  on  every  other 
floor;  in  15  no  light  was  provided;  in  12  houses  fixtures  were  pro- 
vided, but  were  reported  as  "not  used." 

Three  houses  were  repotted  deficient  in  fire  escapes. 

20 


District  C. 

District  C  IS  adjacent  to  District  B  and  covers  about  the  same 
amount  of  territory.  It  is  perhaps  even  more  closely  built  up,  streel 
by  street,  but  its  tenement  houses  are  not  so  large  and  the  popula- 
tion not  so  dense.  Three  streets  in  its  lower  part,  covering  aboul 
one-quarter  of  the  whole  area,  are  inhabited  chiefly  by  Irish,  Amer- 
icans and  prosperous  Italians,  with  a  few  negroes.  The  houses 
are  of  good  grade,  many  of  them  new.  Most  of  them  have  some 
little  space  fenced  in  aronnd  them.  The  other  three-quarters  is 
largely  negro  with  a  mingling  of  lower  grade  Italians,  and  con- 
tains many  small  shabby  houses  closely  set. 

259  single  and  two-family  houses  were  inspected,  as  shown 
below  : 

Single.  Two-family 

Occupied  by  owner 39         Occupied  by  owner 64 

Rented    44         Both    apts.    rented 114 

83  178 

These  houses  are  occupied  by  the  following  groups  : 

Nationality   of  the   occupants   of  261    single  and  two-family  houses 

in  District  C. 

Adults  Children  Lodgers  Total 

Negro    443  232                       27  702 

English   speaking  whites..    316  237                            1  554 

Italian     159  210                           9  37X 

German,  Russian,  Hebrew    .      55  58                            1  114 

Total    973  737  3$  1 748 

A  complete  census  of  the  district  would  probably  show  a  larger 
proportion  of  negroes,  for  the  married  colored  women  work  out 
much  more  generally  than  do  the  whites,  and  many  houses  in  the 
negro  sections  were  found  closed  during  the  day,  and  were  passed 
by  without  revisit. 

It  is  noticeahle  how  small  a  proportion  of  the  negroes  own  their 
OWn  homes.  (  >f  the  •'!!•  single  houses  owned  by  their  occupants,  16 
belong  to  negroes,  23  to  whites;  of  44  rented  single  houses  .">ti  arc 
occupied  by  negroes,  *  by  whites.  <  >f  the  04  two-family  houses  in 
which  one  apartment  is  occupied  by  the  owner,  only  6  arc  owned 
by  negroes,  as  against  58  owned  by  whites.  Of  201  rented  apart- 
ments in  two-family  houses,  14-")  arc  occupied  by  negroes,  L>4  by 
whites. 

21 


These  facts  may  be  thus  tabulated  : 

Single  Two-family                        Total 

Occ.  by  1  floor  occ.       Rented 

owner            Rented  by  owner             apts. 

Negro   16                    36  6                    145                    203 

White     23                      8  58                    134                   223 

Total  ....       39  44  64  279  426 

From  these  figures  it  can  be  seen  that  of  the  owners  of  houses 
only  21%  were  negro;  79%  white,  and  that  among  the  negroes  only 
11%  owned  their  homes  as  against  36%  among  the  whites. 

This  division  of  426  apartments  between  the  colored  and  white 
population  of  the  district  brings  out  the  fact  also  that  702  negroes 
are  housed  in  203  separate  homes,  while  1,046  whites  occupy  223. 
This  gives  an  average  of  3.4  in  the  negro  family  as  against  4.7  in 
the  white,  although  the  negroes  have  a  larger  proportion  of  lodgers 
than  the  whites. 

The  number  of  rooms  per  family  and  average  price  per  room 
is  shown  in  the  following  table : 

No.  of  rooms  per  family  and  average  price  per  room  in  single  and  two-family 

houses  in  District  C. 

No.  of  rooms  occupied  by  family. 

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  S  9        10        11        12 

No.    of    single     houses 

each  size  1  3  6  4  17  23  11  10  6  10  1 

No.    apts.   each   size    in 

two-family  houses.. 1  10  6S        146  77  30  8  0  3  0  0  0 

Largest   no.  in  families 

occupying 2  6  10  11  11  10  9  11  9  9  0  9 

Average  no.  in  families 

occupying 2  2.1        2.9        4.1         4.5         4.7         5.7         5.5         5.2         9  0  9 

Average  rent  per  room...   $3.50     $2.70     $2.40     $2.76     $2.66     $2.51     $2.30    $2.47     

In  comparing  these  figures  with  the  corresponding  figures  in 
Districts  A  and  B  we  find  that  the  average  numbers  of  individuals 
to  apartments  in  this  district  is  lower  than  in  either  of  the  other 
two.  A  comparison  of  negroes  with  whites  within  the  district 
shows  that  in  3-,  4-,  and  5-room  houses  and  apartments  which  make 
up  the  bulk  of  those  inspected,  the  negroes  invariably  have  more 
rooms  to  a  given  number  of  individuals.  This,  contrary  to  the 
general  belief,  bears  out  the  observation  that  as  a  rule  negroes  do 
not  as  readily  herd  into  crowded  quarters  as  do  the  Italians  and 
other  whites.  This  is  doubtless  due  partly  to  lack  of  thrift  and  an 
easy  going  self  indulgence  characteristic  of  the  race,  but  it  is  also 
due  very  largely  to  an  instinctive  knowledge  of  and  regard  for  a 
nicety  of  living,  which  is  one  of  their  highest  qualities  when  prop- 
erly cultivated.  It  has  been  found  in  making  the  inspections  that 
many  of  the  houses  most  noticeable  for  careful  and  dainty  house- 
keeping belonged  to  negroes. 

22 


Comparative  number  of  negro  and  white  individuals  occupying  3-,  4-.  and 
5-room  apartments  in  District  C. 

No.  rooms  \verage  no.  per  family, 

inapt.  Negro  White  General  average 

3  2.5  3.4  2.9 

4  3.8  4.4  4.1 

5  3.9  5.0  4.5 

As  in  the  other  districts  there  is  no  consistent  relation  between 
the  room  price  and  the  size  of  the  apartment,  owing  probably  to  the 
varying  grades  of  houses  inspected.  The  general  average  room 
price  for  apartments  of  2  rooms  and  over  is  $2.54  which,  it  will  be 
noticed,  is  considerably  higher  than  the  almost  ecptal  averages  of 
$2.26  and  $2.27  in  Districts  A  and  B.  It  is  not  evident  that  enough 
of  the  houses  are  any  better,  or  that  any  of  the  houses  are  enough 
better  in  District  C  to  warrant  this  difference  in  price.  Xor  can 
it  apparently  be  explained  on  the  ground  that  the  negroes  as  a  class 
pay  higher  rents  than  the  whites.  The  average  room  price  for 
apartments  ranging  from  3  to  7  rooms  is  made  up  of  the  prices  paid 
for  390  single  houses  and  apartments  divided  about  equally  between 
white  and  negro  families.  The  price  paid  by  negroes  is  higher  in 
only  2  out  of  the  5  groups,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  general  negro 
average  is  lower. 

Average  price  per  room  in  single  and  two-family  houses. 

Xo.  rooms  in  apartment 
3 
Price  paid  by  negro....    $-.41 
Price   paid  by  white....      2.3(> 
Gen'l   average    2.40 

In  spite  of  these  figures  there  is  reason  to  believe  from  the 
statements  made  by  those  in  a  position  to  know  that  negroes  do  as 
a  rule  pay  higher  rent  for  what  they  get.  and  that  at  the  same  price 
their  quarters  are  inferior.  It  may  be  that  the  large  percentage  of 
negroes  in  this  district  has  forced  up  the  rent  of  the  poorer  houses 
for  both  the  negroes  and  whites,  but  no  sufficient  study  of  the 
houses  in  the  several  districts  by  grades  has  been  made  to  warrant 
definite  conclusions. 

Of  the  83  single  houses  79  were  provided  with  kitchen  sinks, 
all  of  which  were  of  open  plumbing  and  in  satisfactory  repair.  The 
4  without  indoor  water  supply  were  rented  houses.  ( )ne  drew  from 
a  pump  in  the  yard,  1  from  an  outside  tap.  1  from  a  tap  in  the  cellar 
next  door,  one  had  no  water  facilities  on  the  premises  and  it-  source 
of  supply  was  not  discovered. 

23 


4 

5 

6 

7    Gen'l  Aver 

$2.61 

$2.51 

$2.66 

$2.28         $2.4-' 

2.90 

2.81 

2.36 

2.31           2.55 

2.76 

2.66 

2.51 

2.30           2.52 

Of  the  two-family  houses,  the  64  lived  in  by  their  owners  all 
had  kitchen  sinks  in  good  repair  for  both  families.  In  the  228 
apartments  of  114  rented  two-family  houses,  there  were  184  kitchen 
sinks.  9  apartments  were  vacant ;  no  record  was  made  of  4.  Of 
the  remaining  31,  one  single  room  apartment  had  a  tap  with  a  sink; 
3  had  taps  in  the  basement,  one  of  these  serving  for  two  families ;  2 
had  taps  in  a  closet  off  the  kitchen ;  24  families  lacked  any  indoor 
supply.  In  the  case  of  these,  1  yard  tap  served  2  two-family  houses  ; 
1  yard  pump  served  2  two-family  houses ;  1  yard  pump  served  a 
row  of  8  two-family  houses. 

14  of  the  39  single  houses  lived  in  by  their  owners  had  bath 
tubs,  but  only  3  of  the  44  rented  single  houses.  In  the  64  two- 
family  houses  lived  in  by  their  owners  there  were  17  baths.  In 
6  houses  tubs  were  provided  on  both  floors ;  in  5  they  were  found 
only  in  the  apartment  used  by  the  owner.  Only  7  baths  were  found 
in  the  114  two-family  houses  where  both  floors  were  rented. 

The  location  of  295  toilets  in  the  single  and  two-family  houses 
of  District  C : 


Bath   room    38 

Off    kitchen    15 

Off  hall    35 

Back  wall  or  porch    59 

Cellar  or  basement 119 

Off  bedroom    1 

Off  adjoining  store    1 

Barn   on   premises    1 

Yard  water  closets    24 

Privies    2 

295  106  27 

No  toilet  on  premises 5 

Of  the  5  houses  with  no  toilet  accommodations  on  the  premises, 
2  were  rear  houses  and  depended  on  the  toilets  of  the  corresponding 
front  houses.     3  used  the  toilets  of  neighboring  houses. 

In  the  cases  of  those  intended  for  the  use  of  more  than  one 
family  most  of  them  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  served  only  2 
families.  One  yard  toilet  in  one  case,  however,  served  for  4  two- 
family  houses.  A  group  of  6  yard  toilets  served  8  two-family 
houses.  One  of  these  was  out  of  repair  and  nailed  np  at  the  time 
of  inspection. 

The  2  privies  are  on  an  unsewered  thoroughfare.  The  vaults 
are  of  good  modern  construction  and  in  satisfactory  condition. 

24 


Used  by 

No 

window 

more  than 

to 

one  family 

on 

tside  air 

0 

1 

2 

31 

5 

60 

17 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

12 

5 

0 

0 

(  >f  the  295  toilets  inspected,  'Jo:!  may  be  counted  as  good  by 

the  same  standard  used  in  the  other  distriets  of  accepting  as  satis- 
factory all  those  in  sound  condition,  of  approved  construction,  and 
in  working  order.  '-','2,  however,  were  of  such  generally  worn  and 
poor  condition  as  to  be  marked  had,  .''7  passed  only  as  fair.  In 
addition  to  those  generally  worn  out  and  unpresentable,  the  flush 
was  out  of  order  in  7;  in  5  the  flow  of  water  was  insufficient  to 
flush,  and  in  one  it  had  been  turned  off  for  seweral  weeks  pending 
a  dispute  as  to  whether  the  tenant  or  the  landlord  should  pay  the 
water  hill.  7  seats  were  badly  split  and  hroken,  and  two  leak- 
were  discovered,  one  of  them  of  long  enough  duration  to  have 
soaked   and  rotted   the   floor. 

A  number  of  the  toilets  here,  as  in  the  other  districts,  were 
found  to  he  immaculately  kept,  notably  several  in  the  homes  of 
high  class  negroes,  but  the  care  in  most  cases  was  indifferent,  and 
the  lack  of  it  in  many  cases  shocking.  The  condition  of  the 
toilets  in  this  district  is,  on  the  whole,  less  good  than  in  the  others, 
and  it  is  noticeable  that  a  majority  of  those  lacking  care  were  those 
used  by  negroes  of  the  less  thrifty  class. 

District  C  has  a  larger  number  of  tenement  houses  than  either 
of  the  other  sections.  ( )f  its  74  houses,  •'!!)  are  of  the  Xew  Law 
type,  35  of  remodeled  old  style  construction.  They  are  grouped 
in  size  as  here  shown  : 

Number  of  apts.  in  house 

3  4        5 6 11 14 16     Total 

New    Law    16  5         1         14         1         1         1         39 

Old   Law   22  5         1  7         0        0        0         35 

Total  38         10        2         21         1         1         1         74 

All  of  these  buildings  are  on  the  front  of  the  lot  and  are  frame 
with  but  6  exceptions.     These  6  buildings  are  of  brick. 

The  following  table  shows  the  population  of  these  74  tenements 
by   nationality. 

Engl,  speaking      Italian              Negro  Total 
whites 

Adults    252                   211                    305  668 

Children     134                      24S                      109  491 

Lodgers     6                        7                       12  25 

Total     392  466  326  1184 

These  1184  individuals  form  a  total  of  310  families;  about 
evenly  divided  among  English  speaking  whites.  Italians,  and 
negroes. 

Engl,  speaking 

whites  Italians  Negro  Total 

No.  of  families    110  94  106  310 

25 


These  numbers  make  an  average  of  3.8  to  a  family  for  the 
whole  tenement  population,  as  compared  with  4.7  in  District  A 
and  5.2  in  District  B.  But,  estimating  according  to  the  racial 
groups,  we  find  that  the  average  family  of  the  English  speaking 
whites  is  3.6;  of  the  Italian  5;  and  of  the  negro  only  3.1. 

The  grouping  by  size  of  family  and  number  of  rooms  occupied 
shows  the  most  usual  disposition  to  be  that  of  families  of  2  or  3, 
in  apartments  of  3  or  4  rooms.  106  families,  or  slightly  over  one- 
third  of  the  whole  number  of  families,  are  so  housed ;  but  here,  as 
in  the  other  districts,  there  are  repeated  cases  of  overcrowding. 
Such  cases  are  5,  6,  7  and  8  people  in  2  rooms ;  7,  8,  and  9  in  3 
rooms ;  8,  9,  and  10  in  4  rooms. 

Distribution  of  310  families  in  74  tenement  houses  in  District  C  by  number 
of  rooms  occupied  in  relation  to  size  of  family. 


No.  rooms 
in  apt. 

1 

2 

3 

N 

umber 
4 

of 

5 

2 

individi 
6 

uals 
7 

in  fai 
8 

nily 
9 

10 

Total  no. 

apts. 
occupied 

2 

3 

10 

2 

4 

2 

1 

1 

25 

3 

12 

33 

26 

14 

13 

10 

5 

1 

3 

117 

4 

1 

20 

27 

14 

15 

12 

7 

1 

3 

1 

101 

5 

4 

7 

3 

4 

3 

? 

2 

25 

6 

8 

14 

6 

4 

4 

2 

38 

7 

1 

2 

3 

8 

1 

Total  no 
of  families 

15 

75 

76 

42 

38 

33 

17 

5 

7 

1 

310 

Water  is  supplied  in  this  district  in  individual  sinks  in  all 
apartments  of  the  new  tenements  and  in  117  apartments  in  the  old 
tenement  type  of  building.  13  sinks  in  old  tenement  buildings  were 
in  the  public  hallway  ;  1  sink  was  in  the  yard  ;  1  in  the  basement, 
and  1  apartment  was  found  having  no  water  supply.  One  sink 
and  2  laundry  tubs  were  found  leaking.     One  sink  was  enclosed. 

28  of  the  39  new  tenements  have  toilets  within  the  apartments. 
In  3  houses  an  individual  toilet  is  provided  for  each  family,  but 
they  are  in  the  basement;  in  4  six-family  houses  the  toilets  are  in 
the  yard  with  two  families  to  1  toilet.  Three  on  the  rear  porch  or 
in  the  hallway  have  2  families  to  1  toilet.  Although  these  arrange- 
ments are  permitted  for  old  buildings,  they  are  not  in  accordance 
with  the  present  state  law  for  new  buildings.* 

*These  figures  are  taken  from  official  records  listed  as  new  tenements.  It  is  exceedingly 
difficult  in  some  cases,  however,  without  a  careful  study  of  building  records,  to  distinguish 
between  a  new  tenement  and  an  old  tenement  successfully  remodeled.  It  is  probable  that  some 
of  these  houses  belong  in  the  class  of  remodeled  old  tenements  and  that  the  condition>  nun 
tioned,  while  not  desirable  are  not  violations  of  the  law. 

26 


Iii  the  old  buildings  6  apartments  have  individual  toilets  open- 
ing off  the  kitchen;  9  open  off  the  public  hallway,  of  which  6  are 
used  for  2  families.  One  of  these  has  no  window  to  the  outside 
air.  26  are  on  the  hack  porch,  10  of  them  serving  for  2  families,  and 
in  one  case  2  of  them  serving  for  3  families.  Three  of  these  have 
no  window.  4  are  in  the  cellar,  3  of  which  are  used  by  2  families 
each,  1  by  3  families ;  28  are  in  the  yard.  6  of  these  are  used  by  2 
families.  In  2  cases  4  are  used  by  5  families;  in  3  cases  1  is  used 
by  •'! ;  1  was  found  opening  from  a  bedroom  and  having  no  light 
or  ventilation   from   outside. 

All  these  toilets  are  reported  in  good  condition  excepting  4. 
where  the  flush  was  temporarily  out  of  order. 

Again  it  is  pleasant  to  record  that  only  1  dark  room  was  found. 

Of  these  houses  16  are  recorded  as  having  no  caretaker  on  the 
premises.  15  are  lived  in  by  their  owners,  and  8  have  resident 
janitors.     Xo  record  was  made  in  the  case  of  35. 

23  buildings  are  reported  as  having  no  provision  for  night 
lights  in  the  public  hallways  ;  3  had  gas  fixtures  provided  but  not 
used;  no  record  was  made  of  7,  leaving  41  with  proper  provision  for 
nisrht  lisrht. 


General  Findings  for  All  Orange  Tenements. 

71  of  the  245  Orange  tenement  houses  are  in  sections 
of  the  city  that  are  not  included  in  the  present  survey,  but  which 
in  character  repeat  with  varying  emphasis  the  features  noticed 
in  the  3  districts  studied. 

The  facts  in  the  following  general  summary  of  the  official 
tenement  inspection  are  taken  from  the  report  of  the  Health  De- 
partment issued  in  May,  1915.  The  tabulations  are  there  made  by 
wards,  which  roughly  correspond  to  the  districts  of  the  survey  in 
this  way  : 

The  First  Ward  includes  all  of  District  C,  but  extends  beyond  it. 

The  Third  Ward  includes  all  of  District  B,  but  extends  beyond 
it. 

District  A  is  made  up  of  parts  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  Wards. 

The  Second  and  Fifth  Wards  are  entirely  outside  the  districts 
studied. 

There  can,  therefore,  be  no  identity  between  the  figures  shown 
by  wards  and  those  of  the  lettered  districts,  but  a  certain  general 
correspondence  exists. 

The  report  gives  for  the  entire  city  the  following  interesting 
figures,  showing  for  each  of  the  chief  racial  groups  the  percentage 
living  in  tenement  houses.  It  will  be  noticed  that  30^?  of  the 
Italians  in  the  city  are  tenement  dwellers,  and  that  12.6'  i  of  the 
entire  population  is  housed  in  tenements. 


Population  of  Orange  Tenement  Houses  by  Nationality. 

Pop.  of  Per  cent,  of  Total 
Total  Pop.               Tenements  in  Tenements 

Colored    2,836  437  15.4 

Italian    6.202  2,257  30.7 

Other  Whites    23,639  1,425  6.0 

City     32,679  4,119  12.6 

These  same  population  figures  are  shown  distributed  by  wards 
and  divided  into  Adults,  Children  (under  16  years),  and  Lodgers. 

Tenement  House  Population  by  Wards,  Age  and  Principal  Nationalities. 

Colored  Italian  Other    Whites  City 

ACLA  CLACL 

First    Ward....   202  106     13  255  258  13  276      207         7  1,337 

Second   Ward..       3       1       0  18  20  0  165       160         3  370 

Third    Ward...     36     25       6  537  766  117  188        90       24  1,789 

Fourth    Ward..      14       2       0  101  142  2  34      105         0  400 

Fifth   Ward....      18     11       0  10  18  0  106        58         2  223 

City    273  145     19  921  1,204  132  769      620       36  4,119 

A — Adults.     C — Children.     L — Lodgers. 

The  report  calls  attention  to  certain  facts  shown  by  this  table 
— that  43%  of  the  entire  tenement  house  population  lives  in  the 
Third  Ward;  32%  in  the  First,  or  75%  in  the  two  wards  combined. 
Also  that  only  in  the  Italian  families  does  the  number  of  children 
exceed  that  of  adults. 

The  report  continues :  "This  table  shows  the  very  interesting 
fact  that,  as  far  as  the  tenement  house  population  is  concerned, 
there  were  more  Italian  or  other  whites  in  the  First  Ward  than 
colored.  Since  the  ward  is  pre-eminently  colored,  the  fact  is  ap- 
parent that  these  people  do  not  generally  live  in  tenement  houses, 
but  rather  in  one  or  two-family  houses." 

But  the  study  made  of  261  single  and  two-family  houses  in 
District  C,  which  contains  the  bulk  of  the  colored  population  of  the 
First  Ward,  showed  that  in  these  houses  also  only  40%  of  the  popu- 
lation was  colored.  It  is  probable  that  this  district  is  not  predom- 
inantly negro  as  is  generally  supposed,  but  that  an  idea  of  numbers 
is  given  by  many  houses  occupied  by  small  negro  families.  (It 
was  shown  in  the  study  of  District  C  that  the  average  colored  fam- 
ily in  single  and  two-family  houses  was  3.4,  and  in  tenements  only 
3.1 — in  both  cases  smaller  than  the  corresponding  whites.) 

The  official  inspection  "disclosed  the  fact  that  horses  were 
housed  upon  tenement  house  premises  in  11  cases,  cows  kept  in  one 
case,  and  chickens  in  12."  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  no 
privy  vaults  exist  on  any  tenement  house  property  in  the  city,  every 
such  house  being  connected  with  the  sewer. 

28 


I  he  records  also  show  that  "the  average  weekly  income  of  the 

colored  tenement  house  population,  as  shown  by  the  statistic-  of  92 
families  taken  at  random,  was  $7.87  as  against  $10.1]  and  $14.09  for 
the  Italians  and  other  whites  respectively  (these  two  being  based 
on  100  families  studied).  The  monthly  rent  paid  by  100  families 
averaged  as  follows:  Colored  $9.00;  Italian  $9.50;  other  whites 
S12.72.  In  other  words,  while  it  is  seen  that  28.6^  of  the  colored 
income  is  paid  out  for  rent,  only  2T7r/  of  the  Italian  and  22.6^5  of 
the  income  ot  the  other  white  population  is  used  for  this  purpose." 

The  inspection  discovered  Hi!)  violations  of  state  laws  or  local 
ordinances,  which  are  listed  as  follows: 

Painting  or   whitewashing  required    i,\ 

Defective    plumbing    41 

Number  of  dark  rooms    22 

Rubbish  in  yard  or  cellar   16 

Toilet  rooms  not  properly  ventilated   or   lighted    11 

Deficient  in  no.  of  water  closets  or  sinks 11 

Inadequate  tire  escape  facilities    2 

Surface   water  running  into  cellar    2 

Cbicken   coops  too  near  house    3 

169 

Notifications  were  sent  out,  and  at  the  time  of  issuing  the 
report,  reinspection  had  been  made  and  all  these  violations  were 
found  corrected.  It  will  he  noticed  that  many  of  them,  such  as  the 
dark  rooms,  unventilated  toilet  rooms,  etc.,  are  among  the  defects 
noted  in  the  present  report.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  already 
they  no  longer  exist. 


DISTRICT  D. 

The  small  scattered  sections  grouped  for  convenience  as  Dis- 
trict 1),  do  not  need  any  detailed  discussion,  since  they  offer  no 
unusual  or  acute  problems.  I  hit  certain  general  comments  are  sug- 
gested by  their  inspection. 

First.  In  looking  over  the  district,  in  Orange  and  West 
Orange,  surrounding  the  Edison  works  and  extending  to  the  still 
open  hillside  beyond,  one  is  forcibly  struck  with  the  tine  i  ipportunity 
open  to  the  factory  management  of  developing  there  a  prosperous 
industrial  community  of  factory  workers,  by  adopting,  contrary  to 
the  present  practice,  a  policy  of  putting  a  premium  on  local  resi- 
dence and  on  steady  long-time  service.  Such  a  policy  would  create 
a  greater  local  pride  and  interest  in  the  success  of  the  industry,  and 
would  secure  the  expenditure  at  home  of  a  large  payroll  now  in 
great   measure  diverted  to  other  communities. 

29 


Second.  The  district  in  South  Orange  which  shows  the  marks 
of  poverty'  and  ignorance  is  small,  and  does  not  as  yet  constitute 
an  evident  serious  responsibility  for  the  community.  But  certain 
conditions  in  the  region  that  has  Church  street  as  its  center  indicate 
that  a  slum  is  in  process  of  forming,  with  the  growth  of  this  lower 
section  of  the  town,  if  the  tendency  is  not  counteracted  by  diligent 
sanitary  supervision  and  social  care.  South  Orange  is  fortunate  in 
that  whatever  good-housing  program  she  may  undertake  can  still 
be  largely  in  the  nature  of  an  ounce  of  prevention,  calculated  to 
save  at  least  a  large  percentage  of  the  pound  of  cure. 

Third.  Attention  is  directed  to  the  growing  Italian  district  in 
the  Elmwood  section  of  East  Orange,  as  a  district  likely  to  develop 
slum  conditions  for  lack  of  sanitary  supervision  and  guidance. 
Tenement  houses  are  springing  up  in  this  still  sparsely  built  region, 
several  houses  at  the  time  of  inspection  were  without  the  water 
connection  demanded  by  ordinance,  and  a  number  of  ill  kept  privy 
vaults  were  to  be  found  on  sewered  streets.  Chickens,  goats  and 
other  animals  wandered  at  will  through  the  streets  and  in  cellars 
and  untidy  back  yards.  A  flourishing  poultry  yard  was  discovered 
in  the  third  story  hallway  of  a  big  tenement  house. 

Even  now  conditions  seen  within  the  past  few  weeks  may 
be  in  process  of  correction,  for  East  Orange  is  now  developing  a 


A  general  view  showing  unkempt  conditions  in  part  of  the  growing  Italian  section 
of  East  Orange.  In  this  district  there  are  several  privy  vaults  on  sewered  streets  and  houses 
lacking  water  supply,  and  an  increasing  number  of  tenement  houses.  It  is  in  danger  of 
developing  slum  conditions  through  lack  of  sanitary  oversight  and   guidance. 

30 


recently  reorganized  and  improved  health  administration,  which 
can  be  trusted  to  maintain  an  efficient  supervision  and  a  progres- 
sive policy  of  constructive  betterment.  It  is  pleasant  to  record  a 
knowledge  of  the  correction  already  of  several  serious  abuses — one, 
the  partial  reconstruction  of  a  dark  and  ill-ventilated  negro  tene- 
ment in  the  center  of  the  city. 

Fourth.  This  district  comprises  the  two  blocks  bounded  by 
the  Parkway,  Willow  Street,  along  the  railroad,  Academy  Street 
and  Main  Street.  It  is  the  chief  negro  section  of  East  Orange. 
Mention  is  made  of  it  not  on  account  of  the  several  wrong  condi- 
tions to  be  found  there,  but  to  call  attention  to  the  infinite  possi- 
bilities afforded  for  the  development  of  neighborhood  interests. 

The  houses,  many  of  them,  have  open  garden  spaces  capable 
of  charming  cultivation;  the  region  is  bounded  on  one  side  by  the 
beautiful  strip  of  parkway,  at  present,  but  not  necessarily,  devoid 
of  benches;  the  Public  Library  is  almost  directly  opposite  across 
Main  Street:  and  the  Eastern  School,  bounding  a  third  side, 
affords  an  equipped  playground,  a  beautiful  shaded  park-like  yard, 
and  a  building  that  could  be  made  available  for  an  endless  variety 
of  meetings  and  social  gatherings.  A  social  settlement,  already 
doing  admirable  work  among  the  people  of  the  district,  is  a  means 
at  hand  for  furthering  the  growth  of  a  fine  neighborhood  standard 
and  spirit.  It  should  have  the  support  in  its  work  of  all  agencies 
interested  in  civic  welfare. 

Summary  of  Conditions  and  Needs. 

Types  of  Houses  Available. 

Single  and  Two-Family  Houses.  By  far  the  larger  part  of  the 
working  population  of  the  Oranges  have  their  homes  in  single  or 
two-family  houses,  many  of  them  owned  by  their  occupants.  Rents, 
while  fairly  moderate,  are  sufficiently  high  to  warrant  the  building 
of  houses  of  better  architectural  design  and  construction.  Among 
the  more  ship-shape  houses  the  existence  of  many  old  ramshackle 
drab-colored  single  and  two-family  houses  still  offered  for  rent  is  a 
misfortune.  Some  few  of  these,  to  be  sure,  offer  surprises  inside; 
they  are  neatly  kept  and  make  tidy  homes.  In  some  of  the  shab- 
biest and  most  uninhabitable  looking  exteriors  has  been  found  the 
most  admirable  housewifery,  deserving  >A  better  conditions.  But 
for  the  most  part  these  houses  have  no  conveniences,  are  difficult 
to  make  in  any  way  homelike  or  attractive,  and  offer  nothing  to 
"live  up  to."  Especially  in  Districts  B  and  C  numbers  of  such  in- 
ferior little  shacks  give  a  forlorn  aspect  to  certain  neighborhoods 
that  otherwise  would  be  perfectly  orderly  self  respecting  streets. 
and  the  tendency  from  their  cheapness  is  to  have  them  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  more  shiftless  and  unambitious  element. 

31 


These  houses  are  the  relics  of  by-gone  days,  and  many  are 
rapidly  nearing  the  time  when  they  can  be  condemned  and  torn 
down.  Another  and  different  problem  is  the  increasing  ownership 
of  small  properties  for  speculative  purposes  by  ignorant  foreigners 
to  whom  an  immediate  return  for  a  small  outlay  is  a  necessity  and 
by  whom  a  community  ideal  is  rarely  understood.  Many  of  these 
little  new  houses  they  build  are  comfortable  and  sanitary,  and  their 
owners,  usually  living  in  the  neighborhood,  often  make  excellent 
landlords,  but  these  quickly  built  and  amateurish  structures  create 
an  unfortunate  standard  of  architectural  style.  There  is  no  per- 
ceptible movement  as  yet  in  the  Oranges  to  build  as  profitable  in- 
vestment houses  for  the  poorer  classes  that  shall  at  the  same  time 
be  a  contribution  to  the  aesthetic  value  and  attraction  of  the  com- 
munity and  an  educational  help  toward  a  higher  standard  of  living. 
It  is  probable  that  small  investors,  if  they  could  be  shown  the  possi- 
bility of  good  returns  on  such  building,  would  be  glad  to  avail 
themselves  of  new  knowledge  and  use  it  in  planning  the  houses  they 
put  upon  the  market. 


Rear  of  a  typical  small  tenement  of  the  old  style  in  the  business  section  of  Orange. 
Two  of  the  four  rooms  on  the  top  floor  are  remodeled  "dark  rooms".  The  yard  closets  seen 
to  the  right  are  old  and  worn  and  offensive  to  sight  ami  smell  and  the  small  yard  space 
littered  and  forlorn. 

32 


Old  Tenements.  There  is  little  to  be  said  of  the  old  tenement 
except  that  it  must  be  watched  with  unremitting  vigilance,  and  tol- 
erated only  until  it  can  be  destroyed.  The  requirements  of  the  State 
Tenement  I  louse  Law  for  old  buildings  and  the  vigorous  enforce- 
ment of  the  law  in  the  (  Iranges  has  mitigated  its  evils  in  large  meas- 
ure, hut  the  most  that  the  law  requires  in  the  modification  of  old 
structures,  notably  in  the  matter  of  "dark  rooms,"  water  supply, 
toilet  facilities,  and  hallway  light  and  air,  leave  them  in  most  in- 
stances far  short  of  beings  satisfactory  domiciles.  Their  original 
construction  does  not  admit  of  complete  conforming  with  the  excel- 
lent law  for  new  tenements,  and  a  compromise  is  all  that  in  fairness 
to  the  owners  can  he  demanded.  Fortunately  most  tenements  of 
the  old  type  in  the  Oranges  do  not  house  over  three  or  four  families 
each,  and  their  number  all  told  is  comparatively  small. 

New  Tenements.  <  )f  new  tenements  there  are  a  number  well 
built  in  conformity  with  all  the  requirements  of  the  law.  Most 
of  them  house  from  three  to  six  families,  but  a  few  contain  up  to 
12  and  16  apartments  each.  Whatever  can  be  said  in  praise  of 
them,  however,  from  the  point  of  view  of  material  excellence,  their 
existence  is  bad  at  best  in  a  community  where  conditions  are  favor- 
able for  housing  all  the  people  in  individual  homes.  Xo  congregate 
dwellings,  precluding  as  they  do  all  family  privacy,  can  ofi'er  suitable 
conditions  for  the  normal  health}-  development  of  growing  children. 
A  check  should  be  put  upon  the  rapid  multiplication  of  these  calam- 
ities in  the  Oranges,  and  the  evil  effects  of  those  already  existing 
should  be  counteracted  as  far  as  possible  by  a  liberal  public  policy 
in  the  matter  of  playgrounds,  small  parks,  provision  for  neighbor- 
hood centers,  etc..  in  the  more  congested  districts. 

The  argument  is  sometimes  brought  up  that  not  all  workers 
can  afford  a  separate  house  or  undertake  the  responsibility  for  its 
care,  and  are  for  convenience  forced  to  the  tenement  manner  of 
living.  The  modern  architects  are  answering  this  argument  con- 
vincinglv  by  the  planning  of  what  may  be  called  group,  as  distin- 
guished from  congregate,  dwellings,  where  advantage  is  taken  of 
the  cheapness  of  a  common  roof  and  foundation,  but  where  the 
privacy  of  separate  entrances  is  maintained,  and  some  individuality 
provided  in  quarters  planned  as  a  family  house  unit,  however  small. 

Rear  Houses.  The  rear  house  is  an  evil  that  the  '  "ranges  have 
escaped  only  in  part.  A  half  dozen  or  more  small  rear  tenements 
exist,  built  before  the  law  was  passed  prohibiting  their  creation. 
and  not  a  few  single  and  two-family  houses  are  found  that  either 
have  been  shut  off  from  the  street  in  the  process  of  new  building  or 
else  have  been  built  as  an  afterthought  to  utilize  the  full  value  of 
the  lot.  Many  such  small  rear  dwellings  are  found  in  Districts  A 
and  B;  a  few  can  be  found  along  the  length  of  Main  Street;  ami 
several  exist  in  the  poorer  parts  of  South  ami    hast  Orange. 

33 


There  is  of  course  nothing  necessarily  undesirable  in  such  a 
house  in  itself — in  fact  those  investigated  have  often  shown  good 
conditions.  Most  of  them  have  not  been  deprived  of  sunlight  and 
air,  and  there  is  frequently  about  them  a  rather  pleasing  privacy 
and  quiet.  Their  position,  however,  suggests  a  certain  social  infer- 
iority, and  experience  proves  that  sooner  or  later  they  tend  to  fall  to 
the  occupancy  of  an  element  of  society  that  cannot  bear  the  light 
of  publicity  in  its  manner  of  living. 

With  rear  houses  may  be  classed  various  makeshift  living  quar- 
ters in  buildings  not  meant  for  dwellings.  Among  such  in  the 
Oranges  at  the  present  time  is  an  abandoned  hat  factory  in  East 
Orange,  a  part  of  whose  second  story  is  fitted  up  and  utilized  as  a 
dwelling.  Entrance  is  by  way  of  the  fire  escape.  Another  is  an 
apartment  built  over  a  stable,  also  in  East  Orange.  The  social 
isolation  of  such  quarters  is  bad,  even  if  other  conditions  are  favor- 
able. In  the  case  of  the  stable  apartment,  which  is  well  built  and 
neatly  kept,  an  inside  toilet  off  the  hallway  and  directly  opposite 
one  of  the  bedrooms,  is  without  outside  light  or  ventilation,  and  the 
house,  though  carefully  screened,  is  literally  swarming  with  stable 
flies  and  reeking  with  stable  odors.  For  a  playground  the  children, 
of  whom  there  are  7,  can  choose  between  a  coalyard  on  one  side 
and  the  railroad  track  on  the  other. 

Alleys.  The  community  is  fortunately  entirely  free  from  the 
curse  of  the  alley  system.  A  few  blind  alleys  or  courts  exist,  which 
share  the  dangers  of  the  single  rear  house.  One  such  may  be  seen 
in  Whitty's  Lane,  Orange ;  another  in  the  group  of  rear  houses 
known  as  "476  William  Street,"  East  Orange.  A  row  of  houses 
that  well  illustrates  the  problem  of  aloofness  from  a  public  thor- 
oughfare stands  in  an  open  space  bordering  on  the  railroad  and 
hemmed  in  by  the  tenements  and  stores  of  the  business  center  of 
Orange.  Entrance  to  it  is  had  through  a  vaulted  passage  leading 
from  the  street.  The  only  light  by  night  is  from  a  kerosene  lamp 
attached  to  one  of  the  house  fronts,  and  the  surrounding  open  space 
of  a  half  acre  or  so,  containing  a  few  trees,  several  stables  and  other 
outbuildings,  is  a  favorite  loafing  place  at  all  hours  for  idlers  and 
hoodlums.  The  right  sort  of  tenant  deserves  better  conditions 
and  the  wrong  sort  needs  them.  Such  hidden  away  dwellings  as 
now  exist  should  be  closely  supervised,  and  their  increase  should 
be  prohibited. 

Out  Buildings.  In  such  open  spaces  as  that  mentioned  above, 
at  the  rear  of  business  blocks  and  in  the  back  yards  of  small  houses 
and  tenements,  there  is  always  a  tendency  to  accumulate  crude 
frame  outbuildings,  used  as  stables,  tool  houses,  chicken  coops, 
store  rooms,  etc.  These  give  a  slovenly  appearance  to  the  open 
spaces,  tend  to  discourage  the  tidy  upkeep  of  yard  room,  and  in 
many  cases  create  a  serious  fire  hazard.     One  such  outbuilding  at 

34 


the  back  of  a  small  tenement  fn  <  Irange  was  found  to  be  Riled  with 
such  inflammable  household  effects  that  it  was  not  thought  safe  to 
attempt  a  flash  light  picture  of  its  interior. 


Group  of  out  buildings  at  the  back  of  a  business  block  in  Oranee.  Such  crowded 
frame  buildings  constitute  a  serious  fire  hazard  in  the  midst  of  a  closely  built  up  section. 
Many  such  cluttered  groups  remain  in  Orange,  though  much  has  already  been  done  toward 
clearing  them  out. 

Many  such  cluttered  groups  may  be  found  in  the  community, 
especially  in  the  crowded  sections  of  Orange,  though  much  has 
already  been  done  there  toward  clearing  them  out. 


Dark  and  Gloomy  Rooms.  Among  the  good  living  conditions 
in  the  Oranges  should  be  emphasized  the  abundance  of  light  and 
sunshine  and  air  in  all  the  streets,  since  there  are  few  large  or  high 
buildings  anywhere.  Dark  and  gloomy  interiors  have  been  con- 
cocted in  too  many  cases,  however,  almost  in  spite  of  intrusive  sun- 
shine. There  are  still  numerous  tenement  rooms  that  are  "light" 
only  by  courtesy  of  the  law,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that  rooms 
with  absolutely  no  direct  light  or  ventilation  are  not  at  present 
illegal  when  they  occur  in  single  or  two-family  houses.  Several 
such  dark  bedrooms  have  been  found  in  small  houses,  usually  those 
converted    from   single   to   two-family    use.      The   existence   ol    such 

35 


rooms  is  a  physical  and  spiritual  menace  wherever  they  occur,  and 
should  be  prohibited  by  local  ordinance  until  such  time  as  they  may 
be  universally  abolished  by  state  law. 


These  small  houses  are  delightfully  situated  with  a  fine  view  of  the  Mountain.  The  toilets 
in  six  of  them  open  off  the  kitchen  with  no  outside  light  or  ventilation.  The  two  upper  dwellings 
have  been  remodeled  into  two  family  houses,  and  dark  bedrooms  have  been  created  in  the 
process. 


A  tendency  has  been  noticed  also,  here  and  there,  to  build  small 
houses  on  such  narrow  lot  frontage  that  adjoining  houses  have 
hardly  more  than  a  footpath  between  them.  "Windows  opening 
on  such  a  slit  are  practically  useless,  and  the  space  could  be  used 
to  better  advantage  by  planning  semi-detached  houses  where  the 
lot  is  so  limited.  Such  lot  crowding  is  as  yet  fairly  rare,  but  it 
is  easier  to  prevent  in  advance  than  to  remedy. 

Water  Supply.  Good  water  and  plenty  of  it  is  an  asset  of  all 
four  Oranges,  that  of  East  Orange  particularly  being  widely  famous. 
Water  mains  are  within  reach  of  practically  all  houses  in  the  settled 
areas  and  are  already  actually  connected  with  nearly  all.  It  is  usual 
to  find  water  connections  not  only  within  each  house,  but  within 
each  separate  apartment  even  in  the  old  tenements,  where  an  indi- 
vidual family  supply  is  not  required  by  law.  Some  tenements  are  still 
dependent  on  hall  or  even  on  basement  taps,  but  the  latter  are  rare. 

36 


A  considerable  number  of  small  houses,  however,  have  been  found 
with  no  inside  supply  and  dependent  either  on  a  pump  or  a  yard 
tap,  such  a  single  fixture  in  two  known  instances  serving  a  dozen 

or  more  families. 

Such  lack  of  water  facilities,  in  spite  of  easy  access  to  the  public 
supply,  is  an  unnecessary  privation,  and  enormously  increases  the 
difficulty  of  decent  living.  A  local  ordinance  requiring  running 
water  within  each  dwelling  where  the  public  supply  is  available 
should  he  passed  and  strictly  enforced. 


This  yard  tap  has  replaced  the  pump  as  the  source  of  water  supply  (or  two  single  and 
five  two-family  houses.  The  yard  closets  seeii  in  the  background  serve  the  same  twelve 
families.  The  flush  tanks  are  rusted  out  and  disconnected,  ami  the  only  means  of  flushing 
at  present  is  with  water  carried  from  the  tap.  The  filthy  fixtures  and  the  refuse  scattered 
about  the  ground  swarm  with  flies. 


The  custom  seems  to  he  practically  universal  where  water  is 
supplied  at  only  one  point  within  the  house,  to  provide  a  sink  in  the 
kitchen.  The  lack  of  laundry  tubs  in  small  houses  and  in  many 
tenements  is  noticeable.  It  seems  as  if.  where  the  choice  has  to  be 
made,  a  single  stationary  laundry  tub  would  he  of  infinitely  greater 
service  than  the  shallow  sink  and.  with  the  aid  of  a  dish  pan,  could 
he  made  to  serve  the  double  purpose,  thus  saving  the  most  hack 
breaking  task  of  the  housewife,  that  of  filling  and  emptying  mov- 
able tubs. 

37 


A  condition  existed  in  Orange  during  part  of  last  summer 
which,  while  it  was  temporary,  ought  to  be  brought  widely  to  the 
knowledge  of  citizens  in  order  that  steps  may  be  taken  to  prevent 
its  recurrence  in  the  future.  A  reorganization  of  system  in  the 
water  department  of  the  city  gave  impetus  to  the  collection  of  out- 
standing water  bills,  and  as  a  last  resort,  after  due  notification  had 
been  given  to  the  owners,  water  was  shut  off  from  properties  where 
payment  had  not  been  made.  Many  of  these  houses  were  rented, 
and  the  tenants,  most  of  them  ignorant  and  long  suffering,  did  not 
even  know  why  they  were  deprived  of  the  usual  supply.  Several 
houses  in  the  poorest  sections  of  the  city  were  without  water  for 
weeks  in  reeking  August  and  September  days,  and  conditions  in  the 
household  and  around  the  unflushed  toilets  beggar  description. 

As  this  report  goes  to  print  the  newspaper  announces  that 
employes  of  the  water  department  are  again  starting  on  the  task 
of  shutting  off  water  from  delinquents,  and  mentions  750  as  the 
number  of  property  owners  who  have  not  paid  overdue  water  bills. 

Such  method  is  not  only  unjust  to  the  innocent  tenant,  but  cre- 
ates conditions  that  are  a  serious  menace  to  public  health.  Either 
it  should  be  made  possible  for  the  city  to  levy  on  the  rent  in  pay- 
ment of  overdue  bills,  or  the  house  should  be  placarded  when 
notification  is  sent  to  the  owner  so  that  tenants  may  have  suitable 
time   to   move. 

Sewerage  and  Privy  Vaults.  The  sewerage  of  streets  is  almost 
complete.  Out  of  74  miles  of  streets  in  East  Orange,  71  are  already 
sewered ;  in  Orange  all  but  a  few  small  streets  have  sewers  laid  : 
and  in  both  South  and  West  Orange  the  work  is  being  steadily 
extended  in  advance  of  building  as  these  towns  reach  out  toward 
the  country.  This  is  making  possible  the  rapid  extinction  of  the 
privy  vault,  and  it  is  safe  to  prophesy  that  these  will  soon  be  diffi- 
cult to  find  in  any  of  the  Oranges. 

Streets  and  Pavements.  Curbed  streets  and  pavements  are 
laid  not  only  in  the  built  up  portions,  but  extending  well  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  towns,  and  some  start  has  been  made  in  the  several 
communities  toward  a  public  system  of  street  cleaning.  Neat  and 
orderly  conditions  outside  tend  to  create  responsive  effort  in  house- 
holders, and  much  of  the  neighborhood  spirit  of  order  depends  on 
the  public  standard  of  street  care.  Much  is  still  to  be  desired  in 
this  line,  especially  in  the  matter  of  proper  oiling  and  of  removing 
surface  dirt  on  much  traveled  thoroughfares. 

Street  Lighting.  An  effective  system  of  street  lighting  extends 
over  all  sections  of  the  community.  There  are  few  public  streets 
lighted  inadequately  for  safety  and  convenience. 

38 


Municipal  Collection  of  House  Refuse.  Municipal  provision  for 
the  collection  of  garbage,  ashes  and  other  house  refuse  is  made  in 
all  the  (  >ranges.  While  there  is  still  room  for  improvement  in  the 
methods  of  collection  and  disposal  employed  in  some  of  the 
municipalities,  improvements  have  recently  been  made  in  all,  and 
simply  the  fact  that  it  is  undertaken  by  them  all  as  a  public  service 
is  a  great  factor  in  assuring  sweet  and  sanitary  conditions  in  and 
about   the  houses. 

lint  the  failure  to  enforce  the  ordinance,  existing  in  all  the 
municipalities,  requiring-  covered  garbage  cans  for  every  house- 
hold, creates  serious  nuisance.  While  there  is  rarely  found  an 
offensive  collection  of  garbage  within  the  home  it  is  often  revolting 
to  sight  and  smell  outside.  Xot  only  is  a  suitable  receptacle  for 
garbage  seldom  seen  in  the  individual  family  of  the  poorer  class. 
but  the  accumulation  from  large  tenements  is  often  piled  in  uncov- 
ered cans,  wash  tubs,  and  in  many  cases  no  separation  is  attempted 
of  garbage,  ashes  and  papers.  The  variety  of  receptacles  seen 
presented  on  the  curb  by  individual  housewives  ranges  from  old 
wash  boilers  and  wooden  boxes  of  various  sizes  and  conditions  to  a 
battered  derbv  hat.  The  regulation  requiring  a  covered  metal  can 
is  difficult  of  enforcement,  but  its  observance  lies  at  the  root  of 
much  of  the  nicety  and  health  of  community  living  and  is  worth 
much  thought  and  effort  on  the  part  of  the  authorities.  That  it  is 
an  ideal  possible  of  achievement  is  attested  by  success  in  a  number 
of  towns  where  the  effort  has  been  made. 

Toilet  Accommodations.  One  of  the  most  beneficial  provisions 
of  the  State  Tenement  House  Law  is  the  requirement  for  new  tene- 
ments of  a  separate  toilet  for  each  department  within  the  apart- 
ment, and  within  each  store  located  on  the  premises.  Practically 
all  the  new  tenements  and  many  of  the  old  tenements  are  now  so 
provided,  and  separate  toilets  are  sometimes  supplied  for  each  floor 
of  two-family  houses.  This  arrangement,  however,  is  not  usual  in 
the  cheaper  grade  houses.  Most  of  the  two-family  houses  in  tin- 
districts  studied  have  but  a  single  toilet. 

The  use  of  a  common  toilet  by  two  or  more  families,  and  the 
frequently  promiscuous  use  of  yard  toilets  is  unutterably  bad.  Xot 
only  does  the  lack  of  family  privacy  in  this  respect  make  it  well 
nigh  impossible  to  fix  the  responsibility  for  the  proper  care  of  the 
fixtures,  but  it  endangers  personal  dignity  and  decency,  and  when. 
as  frequently  happens  in  the  case  of  yard  toilets,  the  convenience 
becomes  semi-public,  it  is  one  of  the  surest  ways  of  spreading 
hideous  disease. 

These  clangers  of  promiscuous  use.  as  well  as  the  objection  of 
great  inconvenience,  exist  in   several  instances   where  families  are 

dependent  on  the  toilet  of  an  adjoining  store.     In  1   case,  the  only 

39 


toilet  available  for  the  use  of  a  family  including  2  little  girls  was  in 
the  adjoining  saloon,  of  which  the  father  was  the  proprietor.  The 
case  is  reversed  when,  as  sometimes  happens,  the  patrons  or  em- 
ployees of  a  store  are  dependent  on  the  use  of  the  toilet  of  an 
adjoining  house. 


Rear  view  of  small  two-family  houses  occupied  by  negroes.  The  houses  have  some 
good  points  (notably  the  separate  entrances),  but  sixteen  families  depend  on  a  single  yard 
pump  and  a  group  of  yard  toilets,  which  from  their  exposed  position  lend  themselves  to 
semi-public  use.  A  good  chance  is  lost  of  developing  a  community  garden  in  the  large  yard 
space. 


The  location  of  the  toilet  in  the  cellar  is  also  unsatisfactory, 
whether  it  be  for  private  or  for  joint  use.  Usually  there  is  insuffi- 
cient light  and  air,  often  the  approach  is  awkward  or  even  danger- 
ous, and  it  is  practically  impossible  for  night  use.  Its  inconvenience 
is  attested  by  the  frequent  evidence  of  the  use  of  portable  vessels 
even  in  the  day  time,  and  in  one  extreme  case  of  drunken  shiftless- 
ness  a  substitute  was  found  in  a  collection  of  empty  butter  firkins, 
cuspidors,  and  other  receptacles  in  a  back  room.  Infrequently,  but 
in  a  noticeable  number  of  instances,  human  excreta  have  been  found 
in  hallways,  dooryards  or  courts  where  toilets  were  inconveniently 
placed. 

40 


In  a  matter  so  vitally  affecting  public  decency  and  health,  pri- 
vate decency  ought  to  be  rewarded  or  facilitated  as  the  case  may 
demand.  The  standard  of  a  separate  family  toilet  within  each 
apartment  should  be  established  for  all  houses,  whether  tenement 
two-family  or  single,  and  the  requirement  of  a  toilet  within  each 
store  or  workshop,  now  secured  in  the  Tenement  House  Law  for 
stores  on  the  premises  of  new  tenements,  should  be  extended  to 
cover  all  stores. 

Room   Overcrowding.     The   tendency   to   room   overcrowding 

and  the  admittance  of  lodgers  to  crowded  family  quarters  at  best 
destroys  the  chance  of  individual  privacy  and  epiiet  essential  to 
healthy  living.  At  its  worst  it  is  a  serious  moral  evil.  It  is  probable 
that  the  total  number  of  lodgers  in  the  houses  inspected  is  con- 
siderably underestimated,  since  there  is  usually  a  hesitancy  to 
admit  their  presence  at  all.  The  number  of  adults  claimed  as 
family  is  often  suspiciously  high,  and  the  testimony  of  neighbors 
frequently  gives  a  higher  count  of  lodgers  than  that  offered  by  the 
householder.  In  one  case  where  the  owner  of  a  four  room  apart- 
ment confessed  to  a  wife  and  five  lodgers  the  neighbors  insisted 
that  the  lodgers  numbered  fourteen  ! 

Serious  overcrowding  has  been  found  to  exist  in  certain  Greek 
and  other  foreign  lodging  houses  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Edison 
works,  and  the  continuous  running  of  the  plant  makes  possible  the 
utilization  of  rooms  for  a  day  and  a  night  shift  of  sleepers.  This 
evil  may  be  controlled,  though  with  difficulty,  by  means  of  laws 
and  vigilant  official  inspections.  But  the  family  overcrowding  and 
the  sharing  of  family  quarters  with  outsiders  can  be  satisfactorily 
prevented  only  by  slow  education  and  economic  readjustments  in 
the  relation  of  wages  to  the  cost  of  living. 

It  is  difficult  to  fix  a  standard  for  permissible  crowding,  or  to 
gauge  what  is  permissible  beyond  what  is  desirable.  The  law  for 
tenements,  basing  the  limit  on  cubic  air  space,  obviously  cannot 
guarantee  hygienic  safety  if  the  air  is  stale,  and  it  ignores  altogether 
the  matter  of  privacy  and  morality,  which  is  the  most  important 
issue.  Measuring  up  the  air  space  of  the  rooms  in  cubic  feet,  the 
following  five  cases  chosen  from  tenement  apartments  in  Districts 
B  and  C  are  found  to  be  all  legal,  and  in  1  or  2  instances  additional 
lodgers  could  be  accommodated  without  infraction  of  the  law: 

2  parents,  4  children  and  5  lodgers  in  4  rooms. 

2  parents,  5  children  and  2  lodgers  in  3  rooms. 

2  parents,   7  children  and   1  lodger  in  •'!  rooms. 

2   parents,  3  children  and   1  lodger  in  2  rooms. 

2  parents.  5  children  and   1  lodger  in  2  rooms. 

Little  need  be  said  of  the  effect  on  children  of  such  promiscuous 
and  crowded  living  arrangements. 

41 


It  seems  reasonable  in  considering  a  standard  for  permissible 
crowding,  to  assume  than  in  every  apartment  at  least  one  room 
(presumably  the  kitchen )  should  be  reserved  free  from  use  as  sleep- 
ing quarters.  Possibly  an  exception  to  this  might  be  made  in  the 
case  of  a  two-room  apartment,  where  a  single  person  could  be 
allowed  to  use  the  second  room  if  the  first  itself  was  not  over- 
crowded. In  the  other  rooms  anything  over  an  average  of  2l/2 
persons  to  a  room  would  seem  incompatible  with  the  least  amount 
of  privacy  that  can  be  thought  of  as  tolerable.  Testing  the  tene- 
ment house  records  by  this  standard,  it  is  found  that  175  tenement 
families,  or  23%  of  those  studied  in  the  3  districts,  are  living  in 
quarters  crowded  beyond  this  limit.  Reckoning  by  individuals  in- 
stead of  families  the  proportion  rises  to  36%  of  the  tenement  house 
population  of  these  districts. 

Not  all  the  worst  overcrowding  is  in  the  tenements,  although 
it  is  usually  found  there  accompanied  by  more  sordid  poverty  and 
shiftlessness.  The  population  in  the  single  and  two-family  houses  is 
more  permanent,  since  many  own  or  are  earning  their  houses,  and 
the  crowding  is  often  a  matter  of  forward  looking  thrift  rather  than 
a  necessity  for  a  hand-to-mouth  existence.  An  example  may  be 
cited  of  a  Polish  couple  living  with  five  children  and  a  lodger  in 
4  rooms  of  a  two-family  house,  which  they  own  with  a  mortgage, 
renting  the  5-room  Hat  on  the  second  floor  to  a  family  of  2.  The 
kitchens  have  porcelain  sinks,  a  bathroom  with  tub  and  toilet  is 
provided  on  each  floor,  and  the  whole  place  is  immaculately  kept. 
Presumably  the  crowding  is  a  temporary  necessity  in  establishing 
the  home,  and  one  likes  to  picture  the  time  arrived  when  they  will 
be  able  to  abandon  the  lodger  and  transfer  themselves  to  the  more 
roomy  upper  floor,  contenting  themselves  with  the  lesser  rent  from 
the  smaller  quarters. 

Other  families  without  lodgers  are  recalled  ;  a  mother  and  father 
and  11  children  in  5  rooms;  a  mother  and  11  children  in  4  rooms; 
a  mother  and  father  and  8  children  in  3  rooms,  &c.  It  was  in  one  of 
these  that  a  little  girl  lived  who  replied,  to  a  suggestion  that  she 
ought  to  come  in  earlier  at  night  and  go  to  bed:  "What's  the  use 
when  I  can't  turn  over?"  She  slept  in  a  bed  with  her  4  sisters — 
3  of  them  lengthwise  at  the  top  and  2  crosswise  at  the  foot. 

Parks  and  Playgrounds.  The  Oranges  are  wonderfully  sup- 
plied with  recreation  grounds  in  the  surrounding  neighborhood, 
such  as  the  Essex  County  Reservation,  and  Eagle  Rock  Park  on 
the  Mountain,  I'. ranch  Brook  Park  in  Newark,  and  Watsessing 
Park  to  the  north  of  East  Orange.  These  could  be  increased  a 
hundredfold  in  usefulness  to  the  poorer  members  of  the  community 
if   transportation    facilities   were   more    widely    developed. 

All  4  Oranges  have  municipal  and  school  playgrounds,  also,  ot 
which  they  may  be  justly  proud,  and  (  )range  Park  gives  delight  to 

42 


thousands.  It  is.  however,  too  far  off  from  the  poorer  sections  to 
he  reached  except  by  a  definite  excursion.  The  great  need,  prac- 
tically untouched  as  yet,  is  for  small  parks  and  resting  places  in 
the  crowded  sections  of  the  community,  where  the  lack  of  space  and 
quiet  within  many  of  these  home--  might  be  relieved  by  beauty  and 
a  nearby  means  of  restful  recreation  without.  The  districts  studied 
are  sadly  lacking  in  any  plan  of  street  adornment,  small  parks,  or 
playgrounds  convenient  for  little  children,  and  hundreds  of  children 
find  their  only  play  space  in  the  dirty  and  crowded  streets.  (But 
special  appreciative  mention  should  be  made  of  the  2  playgrounds 
maintained  by  private  agencies — 1  by  the  Baptist  Mission  in  District 
B  and  1  by  the  Colored  Chapel  in   District  C.) 

The  beautiful  little  park  space  on  Main  Street.  Orange,  is  a 
delightful  spot  in  the  midst  of  a  dreary  business  street,  but  it  is 
entirely  without  benches,  and  therefore  unavailable  for  its  greatest 
usefulness.  More  such  places  planted  with  trees  and  shrubs  and 
supplied  with  drinking  fountains  and  benches  would  he  a  life  and 
soul  saving  benefit  to  many  mothers  in  the  poorer  quarters,  whose 
life  for  the  most  part  is  a  monotonous  drudgery  within  doors,  and 
who  cannot   seek  rest  and  refreshment   far  from   home. 

Such  need  is  more  urgently  apparent  in  the  already  crowded 
districts  of  Orange,  but  provision  cannot  be  made  too  soon  in  the 
growing  sections  of  the  other  Oranges,  where  congested  living  is 
likely  to  develop.  The  lack  of  foresight  in  this  respect  in  East 
Orange  has  already  been  mentioned,  where  whole  tracts  have  been 
sold  to  realty  companies,  streets  cut  and  sewered,  and  surveyed  off 
into  small  building  lots,  without  provision  for  future  need  of  public 
space. 

For  central  Orange  and  the  Valley  this  great  need  should  be 
kept  in  mind  when  adjustments  of  property  arc  made  in  the  con- 
templated track  changes.  The  railroad  should  be  willing  to  co- 
operate in  a  park  development  along  its  right  of  way  that  would 
make  this  part  of  Orange  not  only  a  delight  to  its  inhabitants,  but 
an  attraction  on  the  railroad  map  instead  of  an  eyesore  as  it  is  at 
present. 

Any  discussion  of  housing  conditions  in  the  Oranges  would  be 
incomplete  without  mention  of  the  work  done  toward  better  housing 
in  the  community  by  a  group  of  citizens  working  under  the  name  <>\ 
the  Civic  Sanitation  Committee  some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago. 

They  have  the  honor  of  being  one  of  the  potent  influences 
exerted  in  behalf  of  the  Tenement  House  Act  passed  in  1!M>4.  and  it 
was  entirely  due  to  their  insistent  demands,  supported  by  substan- 
tial evidence  of  needs,  that  the  old  inefficient  health  administration 
in  the  Orange  of  a  dozen  years  ago  was  reorganized  into  the  present 
efficient  system  under  a  trained  sanitarian.     A   comparison  of  th« 

43 


findings  of  investigations  made  at  this  earlier  time  and  now  shows 
the  immense  improvement  found  today  in  the  comfort  and  sanitary 
safety  of  living  conditions  among  the  working  population.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  this  Committee  ceased  to  exist  after  several 
years  of  successful  effort  and  accomplishment. 


RECOMMENDATIONS 

To  insure  an  effective  development  of  plans  for  better  housing 
in  the  community  a  permanent  Housing  Committee  for  all  the 
Oranges  is  advisable.  The  functions  of  such  a  Committee  could  be 
as  wide  as  their  abilities  and  energies  permitted.  In  general  their 
function  would  be  to  keep  themselves  informed  as  thoroughly  as 
could  be  of  the  needs  and  possibilities  for  securing  and  maintaining 
better  living  conditions  in  the  community,  and  in  turn  to  guide  pubJ 
lie  sentiment  toward  the  support  of  measures  that  would  in  any  way 
promote  such  betterment.  They  would  do  well  first  of  all  to 
arouse  interest  in  securing  an  expert  City  Planning,  on  which  to 
base  an  harmonious  development  of  the  whole  community,  looking 
ahead  to  the  needed  reservation  of  park  spaces,  necessary  building 
restrictions  for  given  areas,  extension  of  transportation  facilities. 
formation  of  community  centers,  etc. 

A  uniform  housing  code  for  the  four  municipalities,  supple- 
menting the  State  Tenement  House  Law  should  be  worked  for. 

Such  a  committee  rightly  organized  could  have  immense  influ- 
ence in  raising  the  standard  of  landlordism  and  in  promoting  move- 
ments of  various  sorts  for  the  education  of  tenants  toward  a  better 
standard  of  living. 

Deeper  work  would  lie  in  influencing  a  reform  in  taxation  in 
favor  of  the  small  householder,  and  in  the  general  matter  of  pro- 
moting a  better  adjustment  of  wages  to  living  costs. 

Immediate  work  might  be  done  in  forming  a  company  to  buy 
and  remodel  old  houses  as  opportunity  offered,  or  to  construct  on  a 
paying  basis  new  model  houses  for  occupancy  at  low  rents.  Also 
to  make  possible  at  reasonable  rates  small  loans  for  the  purchase 
of  homes  by  small  wage  earners. 

But  while  improvements  in  the  houses  themselves  are  in  prog- 
ress, the  crying  need  is  the  education  of  the  foreign,  the  ignorant 
and  the  shiftless  toward  a  knowledge  of  and  a  desire  for  higher 
standards  of  living.  Much  of  this  valuable  work  is  now  being  done 
by  the  school  and  other  welfare  nurses  and  the  district  visitors 
from  the  Bureau  of  Charities.  Much  more  could  be  done  through 
a  systematic  campaign  for  the  instruction  of  mothers  in  good 
housekeeping.  This  could  best  be  carried  on  by  an  official  woman 
sanitary  inspector  to  supplement  the  present  excellent  work  of  the 

44 


men  inspectors.  She  would  investigate  and  report,  not  SO  much  on 
technical  housing  deficiencies  as  on  had  hygienic  and  social  condi- 
tions, would  give  individual  suggestion  and  instruction  in  good 
housekeeping,  and  would  bring  to  hear  upon  an  individual  case 
whatever  other  special  agency  was  needed. 

Such  an  inspector  should  preferably  he  a  municipal  officer,  as 

in  this  capacity  her  suggestions  would  have  an  official  weight  with 
landlords,  her  work  would  be  free  from  the  suspicion  of  "charity", 
and  her  information  would  he  more  readily  available  for  the  con- 
structive health  work  of  the  department. 

In  connection  with  the  individual  instruction  and  friendly 
advice  of  such  an  inspector,  valuable  help  cotdd  he  given  in  organ- 
ized neighborhood  gatherings  in  the  schools  or  other  suitable  cen- 
ters. This  is  one  of  the  fields  where  private  welfare  endeavor  can 
most  successfully  co-operate  with  municipal  betterment  programs, 
and  such  neighborhood  gatherings  can  be  made  not  only  to  serve 
immediate  educational  ends,  but  also  to  stimulate  and  guide  good 
social  and  civic  spirit. 

In  all  that  is  done  the  ideal  should  he  kept  in  mind  of  a  com- 
munity where  the  welfare  of  each  is  the  welfare  of  all  and  the  duty 
of  all  to  maintain.  Xo  community  can  achieve  its  highest  develop- 
ment and  success  while  any  citizen  in  it  is  hampered  by  prevent- 
able causes  from  accomplishing  his  own  highest  personal  develop- 
ment. Society  as  a  whole  must  bear  the  burden  of  individual  inca- 
pacity. This  time,  especially,  in  the  world's  history  is  not  one  in 
which  to  let  well  enough  alone.  It  may  well  be  that  from  the  hor- 
rors of  the  present  European  war  we  shall  be  the  only  great  civil- 
ized nation  left  not  utterly  shattered  and  crippled  by  the  shock  and 
strain  of  so  terrific  a  conflict.  It  falls  to  us  in  our  immunity  to 
preserve  to  its  fullest  uses  whatever  there  is  among  us  of  human 
energy  and  capacity  and  worth.  It  falls  as  a  privilege  to  the 
Oranges  to  do  their  easv  share. 


45 


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